Ward Churchill Solidarity Network

New Year’s Greetings from the WCSN

We hope 2008 finds each of you healthy and in good spirits, ready for a new round of struggles for a just and sustainable world.

At the Ward Churchill Solidarity Network, we are grateful for all the support we have received, and look forward to continuing to work with you on the many cases around the country and the globe where academic freedom and the right to political dissent are being suppressed.

A quick update:  In addition to teaching a weekly voluntary class organized by students at the University of Colorado, Ward Churchill had a full fall of speaking engagements across the U.S.  Most recently, he spoke on Zionism and Manifest Destiny to an overflow crowd at the University of California at Davis.  Despite the usual threats of disruption, the event went smoothly and was well received, illustrating, as Ward’s talks consistently do, that when people actually get to hear a “controversial” speaker, they find themselves challenged by and appreciative of new ideas. In addition to engagements in Canada, from Toronto to Vancouver, Prof. Churchill was also a featured speaker at the National Book Fair in Caracas, Venezuela, in early November.

Ward Churchill filed suit in July against the University of Colorado, charging CU with having fired him in retaliation for speech protected by the First Amendment, and having used the bogus “investigation” of his scholarship as a pretext.  That case is now in the “discovery” phase, in which each side will be taking depositions, posing/answering written interrogatories, and producing documents pertaining to the underlying facts.  It will probably get to trial before a Denver jury in late summer or fall of 2008.

In the meantime, we have many expenses.  We received generous donations from many folks, but still need to raise approximately $30,000 for court reporters, transcripts, copies, airfare and expenses of witnesses, and the hiring of experts.  All funds raised will go directly to attorney David Lane, to be used to cover these costs.

Please consider planning a fundraiser, or sending a donation to:
David Lane, Esq.
c/o WCSN
PO Box 20035
Boulder, CO 80308

Questions?  Contact us at wcsn@wardchurchill.net

“ReVisioning American History” — CU Students Invite Ward Churchill Back to Teach

Ward Churchill was always one of the University of Colorado-Boulder’s most popular teachers, but student opinion was entirely disregarded in the Regents’ decision to fire Prof. Churchill.

Now, student organizations have responded by inviting Ward Churchill back to teach on a voluntary basis, starting Tuesday Oct. 2, 2007.  The course is entitled “ReVisioning American History:  Colonization, Genocide, and Formation of the U.S. Settler State.”

According to Professor Churchill,

This course is an entirely voluntary exercise for all parties involved.  It carries no credit, fulfills no institutional requirements, involves payment of no tuition, entails no paycheck to its instructor . . .  The sole purpose of the course is to provide those desiring it a critical and comprehensive alternative to the triumphal narrative upon which the eurosupremacist orthodoxy of scholarship has been constructed, refined, and is currently being (re)imposed with increasing rigidity on campuses across the United States. . . .

Message from the Ward Churchill Solidarity Network (WCSN)

Note: This message will remain at the top of the page. Please scroll down for new updates.

We appreciate your many inquiries regarding ways to support Ward Churchill in the aftermath of the CU Regents’ decision to fire him. Some concrete steps we suggest:

1. Click here to sign the Open Letter to the Regents (see text below).

2. Help Ward Churchill sue the University of Colorado (see letter below).
Our goal is to raise $25 each from 1,000 people:

WCSN
PO Box 20035
Boulder, CO 80308
(checks payable to: David Lane, Esq.)

David Lane is donating his time; all funds will be used for legal expenses.

3. Take a stand wherever you see people being silenced.

Reinstate Ward Churchill

Open Letter to the University of Colorado Board of Regents
Concerning the Firing of Professor Ward Churchill

As scholars, activists, and concerned citizens, we protest your decision of July 24, 2007, to fire tenured American Indian Studies Professor Ward Churchill. To us, it is clear that:

* Ward Churchill was fired in retaliation for the exercise of his First Amendment-protected speech and in violation of the doctrine of Academic Freedom.

* The investigation into Professor Churchill’s scholarship was initiated and pursued in response to the political outcry over his statements linking U.S. policy to the attacks of September 11, 2001.

* The pretextual nature of the investigation is illustrated by the University’s refusal to investigate charges of misrepresentation and falsification of evidence, as well as plagiarism, which have been brought against the Investigative Report on which you have relied to dismiss Ward Churchill.

* Disciplines such as ethnic and gender studies were created in response to the failure of the “mainstream” academy to accurately portray our collective histories and realities, and professors like Ward Churchill brought in to ensure that students are exposed to a diversity of perspectives.

* The investigation and firing of Ward Churchill has had, and will continue to have, a chilling effect on all scholars and teachers who challenge the status quo, present alternative historical interpretations, or encourage critical thinking.

We realize that you are elected officials and have been under tremendous political and financial pressure to fire Professor Churchill. However, we urge you to take your responsibilities to the Constitution and to the education of future generations seriously, and to reinstate Ward Churchill.

(To sign on, click here.)

Firing Back: Ward Churchill v. University of Colorado

In a time when our basic civil and human rights are endangered it is critical to resist those who would have us believe that the current state of affairs is inevitable. We cannot allow ourselves to be silenced.

We do not believe the University of Colorado fired Ward Churchill because of so-called “research misconduct.” The attack on Ward Churchill is part of a larger effort to silence criticism of government policies and to discredit alternative, particularly Indigenous, histories and perspectives; an attack spearheaded by neoconservative groups like Lynne Cheney’s American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA). For more on CU President Hank Brown’s ties to ACTA, see wardchurchill.net/files/cu_acta_ad.pdf.

There are many fronts in the struggle to preserve access to truth and the freedom to think and speak critically. In addition to whatever avenues you are already pursuing to redress injustice, we urge you to support Ward Churchill’s lawsuit against the University of Colorado.

For background and updates, visit the Ward Churchill Solidarity Network (WCSN) website at www.wardchurchill.net.

Ways to help:

* Send donations for legal expenses to:

WCSN
PO Box 20035
Boulder, CO 80308
Make checks payable to: David Lane

Attorney David Lane is generously contributing his time and talents. Donations will be placed in a trust account and used only for legal expenses such as filing fees, depositions, etc.

• Volunteer in legal, educational, or fundraising efforts:
  E-mail: info@wardchurchill.net
• Have your organization or institution sponsor a talk by Ward Churchill:
  E-mail wardspeaks@gmail.com
• Spread the word and forward this e-mail to your networks.

In solidarity,

Kathleen Cleaver and Natsu Taylor Saito

Supported by strong and committed women including Pam Africa, Carrie Dann, Jennifer Harbury, Yuri Kochiyama, Cynthia McKinney, Pearl Means, Lynne Stewart, Haunani-Kay Trask, Sharon Venne, and many others in the struggle for justice.

View Press Conference — CU Students and Faculty for True Academic Freedom write:

There has been so much press coverage of the firing but almost of none of it has included our voices and the substance of what we put out there in our statements. Fortunately, our entire press conference can be seen at 9News website.

I don’t know how long it will last up there so please fwd it to friends, especially to those who were not able to be inside during the press conf.

http://www.9news.com/news/top-article.aspx?storyid=74224
–Look in the left-hand sidebar under “9News Video”

Here are the direct links:
http://www.9news.com/video/player.aspx?aid=38135&bw=
http://www.9news.com/video/player.aspx?aid=38132&bw=

July 24: Regents To Vote on Firing Churchill

From CU Students and Faculty for True Academic Freedom:

Main Rally at 3:30pm – CU Boulder
UMC South Plaza (Broadway at Euclid St.)

D-Day in the struggle to defend free speech and Prof. Ward Churchill is Tuesday July 24.

On that day, the CU Regents will vote after an all-day meeting, most of which will be closed to the public. But the Regents must come out to face us when they make their vote and explain it. So, be there with us at 3:30pm for our main rally. We will observe their vote and make our voices heard.

If you can join us for more of the day, we will hold a small rally in the morning (7:30am, UMC South Plaza) to show our presence and we will maintain a vigil while the fight goes on behind closed doors.

Here are 5 reasons why you should join us on July 24th:

1) Our enemies are watching — this attack on Prof. Churchill is a key rightwing “test case” for a much broader national assault. The easier they think it is to fire Ward Churchill on bogus charges of research misconduct, the more attacks we’ll see on professors, staff, and students, on ethnic studies and women’s studies programs, and on critical thinking.

2) Our friends and allies across the country and around the world are counting on us to represent them. In just the past month, 100’s of people have written to urge the Regents NOT to fire Prof. Churchill.

3) This is your last chance to weigh in—this is the final step in firing Prof. Churchill.

4) The University is counting on you not to come—why else schedule it during the summer?

5) It’s never too late to do what’s right, as Michael Meeropol, economist and son of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg realized two weeks ago: “I have hesitated to voice my support for Professor Ward Churchill as his case was being adjudicated… These charges were (I thought) substantive and went to the heart of our profession’s integrity – relating to intellectual honesty. I have been moved, however, to finally raise my voice in protest after reading the detailed analysis by Professor Tom Mayer…. To be frank and blunt, the charges against Professor Churchill are bogus and represent a fig-leaf of cover for a politically motivated firing….”

The Regents may change their plans/location at the last minute, so, spread the word, stay tuned, and check out last minute developments at: www.wardchurchill.net, where you can also find background and analysis.

Finally, we are students, faculty and staff at the CU-Boulder who have been carrying on the struggle here since the beginning. Please respect our gameplan of holding a strong, peaceful rally and vigil.

July 24: Regents Will Vote — Write the Regents; Attend the Meeting

CU Students and Faculty for True Academic Freedom ask you to join them on the Boulder Campus on July 24 to attend the Regents meeting. Public portions are scheduled at 8:00 am, and again at 4:00 pm.

7:30 a.m. - meet on the south plaza outside the UMC (student center), Broadway & Euclid.
Stay tuned for more details…

Message from Attorney David Lane:

The Regents of the University of Colorado will hold a meeting on July 24, 2007 on the Boulder campus of the University of Colorado regarding the termination of Ward Churchill. The location has yet to be determined however it will commence at 8:00 a.m. It is anticipated by Professor Churchill that this meeting will result in his unlawful termination in retaliation for his First Amendment protected speech. Professor Churchill has requested that the entire meeting be held in public and that public testimony be taken by the Regents. As of now, the Regents plan to meet behind closed doors and will not take public testimony.

CU’s Students and Faculty for True Academic Freedom are calling for community attendance at 8:00 am and 4:00 pm (when the Regents should be voting).

Stay tuned for further developments.

The Regents and Ward Churchill: Now is the Time to Speak Out

In the next few weeks, the Board of Regents of the University of Colorado (CU) will vote on the dismissal of Professor Ward Churchill. This is the final opportunity for public input in this process.

Over the past two and a half years, many of you have opposed CU’s attempts to fire Ward. Ward and I have engaged in this struggle not for the sake of his job (he will always write, speak and teach), nor because we enjoy battling bureaucracy, but because it has become emblematic of contemporary efforts to silence those who insist on discussing uncomfortable truths.

Since February 2005, CU administrators have been under intense political and financial pressure to fire Ward for his statements about the 9/11 attacks. To avoid blatantly violating the First Amendment, they have resorted to a pretextual investigation of his scholarship.

After combing through a media barrage of unfounded allegations and his more than 20 books, 100 articles, and over 12,000 footnotes, CU has settled for firing Ward Churchill, a tenured full professor, for six instances of alleged improper footnoting or author attribution (see details below).

Predictably, this has provided sufficient excuse for those who wish to distance themselves from this “controversy” and still believe they support academic freedom. For organizations like Lynne Cheney’s neoconservative American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), it is a major victory for the corporatization of higher education.

However, those who look beyond the headlines and CU’s self-serving pronouncements have recognized it as a charade.

. . . click here to read entire Natsu Saito essay