On Sept. 16, Media Matters activist Madeline Peltz falsely claimed that National Review editor-in-chief Rich Lowry used a racial slur during an interview on The Megyn Kelly show while discussing an influx of Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio. Lowry later clarified “I began to mispronounce the word ‘migrants’ and caught myself halfway through.” Later that month, Lowry was scheduled for a speaking engagement at Indiana State University, but the university canceled the event citing “safety concerns.” In response, Indiana State Senator Greg Goode (R-Terre Haute) plans to host an event with Lowry in support of freedom of speech next month (Photo Credit: Indiana Senate; Gage Skidmore, modified).
The event will be held at the Terre Haute Convention Center on Thursday, Nov 21, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. Lowry will be the keynote speaker at 7 p.m.
“I was disappointed in the university’s decision to cancel Rich Lowry and heard from a number of students, faculty, alumni, policymakers, and Vigo County citizens who were stunned by what felt like a hasty decision made by the university’s leadership that had not been well thought through,” Goode said in a press release. “I also believe that had the university reached out to law enforcement partners at the local, county, and state levels, any security concerns alleged by the university would have been easily addressed. Since the university’s decision, I have been in communication with Mr. Lowry to offer my help, and I am deeply grateful for the grace he has demonstrated and for his commitment to coming to Terre Haute to join our community in a respectful, civil discourse.”
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Lowry criticized ISU’s decision to cancel him in a National Review column, claiming that “security concerns” were a typical excuse used by administrators to reject conservative speakers and others they found “inconvenient.”
ISU claimed that was not the case.
“Indiana State University remains firmly committed to fostering intellectual diversity and encouraging the respectful exchange of ideas from multiple perspectives,” the university claimed after the fact.
Lowry, however, rejected that claim.
“I’m so grateful to Sen. Goode for getting me out to Terra Haute. It’s a strong statement in favor of free expression and a pointed rejection of the illiberalism and bad faith of Indiana State, an institution that purports to stand for free inquiry,” Lowry said. “As Americans, we should always favor fair play and robust public debate.”
During the event, attorney and political media contributor, Abdul-Hakim Shabazz, will also participate in a fireside chat on free speech and civil discourse in Indiana and America. Shabazz runs Indypolitics.org and ran for mayor of Indianapolis last year in the Republican primary. He will speak at 6 p.m.
To make a reservation on Eventbrite, click here