DePaul professor Matt Girson has arranged for a Flash Murmur to take place in the library tomorrow evening.

From Prof. Girson:

On Wednesday, November 1 at 6:00pm Charles Murray will be speaking on our campus in Cortelyou Commons. The Southern Poverty Law Center deems Mr. Murray a White Nationalist who uses “racist pseudoscience and misleading statistics to argue that social inequality is caused by genetic inferiority of the black and Latino communities, women and the poor.” More info here.

In an effort to counter-act his divisive and hateful rhetoric I am hosting a Flash Murmur in the Forum on the second floor of the Richardson Library on DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus. The Flash Murmur is scheduled to directly coincide with Mr. Murray’s lecture.

As a peaceful and productive act of defiance I invite members of our DePaul community to join me in the sharing of words from survivors of oppression, hatred and bigotry. As in other Murmurs we will read to – and for – each other. We will not use any microphones and there will be no stages. Instead we will sit around tables together and share the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou and others who have stood up for true democratic values. Our exchanges will be horizontal and our content will be the words and ideas of people who counter Mr. Murray’s beliefs. The process will allow us to build community around shared values in a safe, productive, and educational environment.

Bring a speech, letter, poem, or testimony from someone who has stood up to oppression and faced it down. Printed material will be available on site for people who do not bring their own. Additional material can be found on the archive at www.januarytwenty.net.

Spread the word. JOIN US THIS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1 from 6:00- 8:00pm in the Forum on the second floor of DePaul’s Richardson Library. Like democracy itself, the more people who participate the more meaningful the experience.

Please direct any questions to me at mgirson@depaul.edu.