Combatting Misinformation and the Assault on Academic Freedom with Research, Education, and Advocacy

Abstract In the wake of the social justice movements experienced across the nation, a coordinated legislative campaign has been initiated to limit how topics related to race, racism, and gender can be discussed, taught, and researched within primary, secondary, and post-secondary education. Not only do these efforts reflect a serious attack on academic freedom, they threaten the principles of our democracy. In this address, I present a summary of the most recent legislative proposals introduced at the state and federal levels, and discuss the impact they have begun to have on faculty’s ability to teach and to conduct research, as well as on university budgets. To counter this assault, I call for a collective response from faculty, students, administrators, and professional associations.