The Power of Free Speech: A Conversation with Nadine Strossen
Channel: NEIU Libraries
Date: 2023-10-13

On October 10, 2023 the NEIU Libraries hosted a conversation with Nadine Strossen, past president of the American Civil Liberties Union (1991-2008). Professor Strossen is the author of the 2018 book Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship as well as of the 2023 book Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know. She is also the Host and Project Consultant for Free To Speak, a 3-hour documentary film series on free speech scheduled for release on public television in fall 2023.

A panel of NEIU students Crystalynn Ortiz, Jessica Makowski, and Michael Yamashiro conducted a public interview with Professor Strossen for the first portion of the event. This was followed by a Q&A session with the audience.

This event was co-sponsored by the NEIU History Club, the NEIU History Department, and the NEIU Political Science Department.

Nadine Strossen, the John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Emerita at New York Law School and past President of the American Civil Liberties Union (1991-2008), is a Senior Fellow with FIRE (the Foundation for Individual Rights and Education) and a leading expert and frequent speaker/media commentator on constitutional law and civil liberties, who has testified before Congress on multiple occasions. She serves on the advisory boards of the ACLU, Academic Freedom Alliance, Heterodox Academy, National Coalition Against Censorship, and the University of Austin.

The National Law Journal has named Strossen one of America’s "100 Most Influential Lawyers," and several other publications have named her one of the country’s most influential women. Her many honorary degrees and awards include the American Bar Association’s prestigious Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award (2017). In 2023, the National Coalition Against Censorship (an alliance of more than 50 national non-profit organizations) selected Strossen for its Judy Blume Lifetime Achievement Award for Free Speech.

When Strossen stepped down as ACLU President, three (ideologically diverse) Supreme Court Justices participated in her farewell/tribute luncheon: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, and David Souter.

Crystalynn Ortiz received her undergraduate degree in History from Northeastern with a minor in Anthropology. In 2021 she founded the NEIU History Club and she has served as President of the club since that year. She is a member of Phi Alpha Theta - the National History Honor Society and in 2022 she began pursuing a Master of Arts in History at Northeastern with a teacher’s licensure for secondary education. This past summer, she was awarded the Diversifying Faculty in Illinois fellowship, the goal of which is to increase the number of minority full-time tenure track faculty and staff at two- and four-year, public and private colleges and universities in Illinois. After earning her MA at Northeastern, Crystalynn plans to pursue a PhD.

Jessica Makowski received her undergraduate degree in History from Northeastern in the Spring of 2023. She is also a member of Phi Alpha Theta - the National History Honor Society and is currently pursuing a Masters of Arts in Teaching History for Secondary Education. She is Vice President of the NEIU History Club. In 2022, Jessica was awarded the Brommel-Lindberg History Scholarship. She has completed an internship at the Arlington Heights Historical Society and a fellowship with the Chicago History Museum’s Chicago Learning Collaborative education initiative. After earning her MAT degree, Jessica plans to pursue a PhD in public history.

Michael Yamashiro received his undergraduate degree in History from Northeastern in the Fall of 2022. He is also a founding member of the History Club and served as its Vice President for two years. He is now pursuing a Masters of Arts in Teaching History for Secondary Education. He is a product of the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago. He is a Golden Apple Scholar and is dedicated to the education field. After earning his MAT degree, Michael plans on being a high school history teacher in the Chicago Public Schools system. 

This event was made possible thanks to the generous financial support of George Mason University's Voices for Liberty Initiative. The Voices for Liberty Initiative is examining the role free speech has played and continues to play in advancing civil rights in America, particularly for historically disadvantaged and/or social marginalized groups. It includes significant research and scholarship, public events, and a nationwide speakers' bureau.