During my tenure as a fellow of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement, I examined how the diversity movement of the past half century has influenced our nation’s conversation concerning speech. Then, in October, I ran across a call for proposals to present at a December 2019, symposium on … Continue reading Diversity and Speech Part 9: Hate Speech 2070 – by Carlos E. Cortés
This is the eighth in a series of columns based on my research as a former fellow of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. In these columns I have discussed what I call the diversity movement — the composite of individual, group, and organizational efforts to reduce societal … Continue reading Diversity and Speech Part 8: Managing Diversity – by Carlos E. Cortés
This is the seventh in a series of columns based on my research as a former fellow of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. In these columns I have discussed what I call the diversity movement — the composite of the myriad individual, group, and organizational efforts to … Continue reading Diversity and Speech Part 7: Critical Theory – by Carlos E. Cortés
This is the sixth in a series of columns based on my research as a former fellow of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. In earlier columns I argued that our nation’s system of expression is far too complex to be encompassed by the simple, misleading couplet, “free speech.” … Continue reading Diversity & Speech Part 6: Equity and Inclusion – by Carlos E. Cortés
The diversity movement has raised myriad issues regarding language and the exercise of speech. Indeed, some critics of diversity efforts have accused its advocates of undermining the U.S. tradition of free speech. Yet that argument is ill-founded, for two reasons. First, because totally “free” speech does not exist in the United States. Second, because establishing … Continue reading Diversity and Speech Part 5: Interculturalism – by Carlos E. Cortés
Leelee Jackson and Geoffrey Stone are hardly household names in diversity circles. But in 2019, my interactions with Jackson, a talented young playwright, and Stone, a passionate defender of free speech, helped illuminate the challenging complexities of diversity and expression. As a fellow of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic … Continue reading Diversity and Speech Part 4: Navigating the N-Word – by Carlos E. Cortés
Diversity advocates cannot avoid dealing with the intersection of inclusive diversity and robust speech. Tensions between those two imperatives are inevitable. These tensions complicate our efforts to address such speech-related issues as privilege, power, marginalization, hostile work environments, and the expression of intergroup hate. This is the third in a series of columns based on … Continue reading Diversity and Speech Part 3: The Diversity Movement – by Carlos E. Cortés
In my first column in this series, I began a discussion of the intersection of diversity and speech. This has grown out of my research as a current fellow of the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement. Let me expand upon those ideas. – The basic point is this: … Continue reading Diversity and Speech Part 2: A Changing Context – by Carlos E. Cortés
“That’s against free speech.” “That’s censorship.” “That’s unconstitutional.” Those are the kinds of responses diversity advocates are likely to receive when they challenge hate speech or other forms of demeaning and marginalizing expression. Unfortunately, diversity supporters often take the bait and respond by arguing for the importance of limiting free speech. But they shouldn’t … Continue reading Diversity vs. Free Speech: An Invented Conflict – by Carlos E. Cortés
We in the diversity world need a new pair of words. Or maybe the terms already exist and I just don’t know about them. Here’s my concern about diversity language. In November I had a discussion with my cyberpal Neal Goodman, president of Global Dynamics. Neal had just read “Toward a 21st-Century Interculturalism: Reflections of … Continue reading Needed: Some New Diversity Language – by Carlos E. Cortés
