A debate on DEI

On Tuesday, April 4, the MIT Free Speech Alliance will host a debate on DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion). The question to be debated is: Should Academic DEI Programs be Abolished?

Heather Mac Donald, a hero of the anti-DEI movement (among other vital conservative causes), will argue in favor of abolition. Her debate partner will be Patanjali (Pat) Kambhampati, a professor of Chemistry at McGill University.

The pro-DEI side will be upheld by Pamela Denise Long, CEO of Youthcentrix and “a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Antiracism Consultant” and by Karith Foster, founder, of INVERSITY Solutions and a “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Specialist.”

The moderator will be Nadine Strossen, a law professor at NYU. She was president of the American Civil Liberties Union back when the ACLU still bore some resemblance to an organization genuinely interested in protecting civil liberties. Strossen is the author of HATE: Why We Should Resist It With Free Speech, Not Censorship.

According to The College Fix, the debate organizers invited all of MIT’s cadre of diversity deans (eight of them, by my count) to argue in favor of retaining DEI programs. None accepted the invitation.

I assume that Stanford Law School’s DEI dean, Tirien Steinbach, was also unavailable. She is now on leave from that position. The juice turned out not to be worth the squeeze.

Thankfully, the Free Speech Alliance was able to enlist an “antiracism consultant” and a “belonging specialist” from outside the academy to defend DEI.

The debate will begin at 7:30 p.m. on April 4. It will be live streamed here beginning at 7:15. Those who wish to attend in person can reserve a place here.

Heather Mac Donald will also participate in a Q and A podcast on the morning of the debate at 11:00. Information about that event is here.

Those who have more questions about these events can contact Peter Bonilla at peter@mitfreespeech.org.

In my opinion, any event in which Heather participates is well worth the squeeze watching.