A lecture on hate speech is planned Wednesday at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service.
Nadine Strossen will talk about her book, Hate: Why We Should Resist it with Free Speech, Not Censorship, at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Sturgis Hall, 1200 President Clinton Ave. A book signing will follow.
The book aims to “dispel misunderstandings plaguing our perennial debates about hate speech vs. free speech, showing that the First Amendment approach promotes free speech and democracy, equality, and societal harmony,” according to a news release.
The book comes to the conclusion that hate speech laws are ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst.
“Their inevitably vague terms invest enforcing officials with broad discretion, and predictably, regular targets are minority views and speakers,” the news release says.
Strossen is a professor of constitutional law at New York Law School. She was the first woman president of the American Civil Liberties Union, serving from 1991 through 2008.