Hate Speech Not Welcome at Law School

To the editors:

The Asian Pacific American Law Students Association, Black Law Students Association, Harvard African Law Association, Jewish Law Students Association, La Alianza, Middle Eastern Law Students Association, and South Asian Law Students Association are writing to express concern over the recent anonymous emails and flyers which have targeted African American and Jewish members of the Harvard Law School (HLS) community (News, “Law Students, Faculty Protest Racial Incidents,” April 16).

We write because the chilling effects of hate speech against any minority group are felt by all minority groups. We extend our sympathy to the individuals who have been personally affected by these attacks. First-year students have been angered, shocked, and left in tears by these incidents. Their sense of community, if not shattered, is severely strained. It is difficult to engage other students in the classroom when individuals in your class have anonymously attacked your racial, ethnic or religious group. The anonymous aspect of these attacks is especially egregious because it discourages open intellectual debate and allows individuals to publicize hateful views with no accountability.

We condemn anonymous, hateful, and derogatory expressions of speech like these e-mails and flyers that create fear in our community and mock the spirit of honest intellectual dialogue.

We ask that the administration make all efforts to find all the perpetrators of these acts and take all measures necessary to deter similar future incidents. We hope that the administration does not lose this opportunity to ensure that the HLS community discusses contentious issues in appropriate ways while ensuring respect for all.

Andrew Ting and Inez Canada

April 16, 2002

The writers are political chair of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association and president of the Black Law Students Association at Harvard Law School, respectively.