Arizona's Free Speech Heroes
TEMPE, AZ - In a country where free speech is slowly being stripped from the public more and more each day, one brave institution decided to take a stand. Arizona State University (ASU) is creating a haven for free-thinkers on campus called the Center for Free Speech, “to encourage the uninhibited exchange of ideas” (2024).
Free speech is more than just an idea for ASU. Administration has not only held but also created the space for free speech in recent years, including:
- Threatening suspension for planning a peaceful demonstration by the Black African Coalition in 2020
- Canceling a scheduled talk by US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib in 2023
- Shutting down peaceful protests resulting in the arrest of 25 students and 72 people in total in the spring of 2024 and filing criminal charges against 68 of the 72 aforementioned this October 2024
We praise administration and university officials at ASU for taking a stand and uplifting free speech for students, staff, and faculty. We at UCWAZ are so proud to represent workers at a university who is nationally recognized and awarded for protecting free speech. We are sure that this Center for Free Speech will be a beacon of American liberties in the years to come.
This article was inspired by The Onion, a digital news company that publishes satirical articles based on local and national headlines.
