Date
3-2016
Department
History Department
Class
History 303: Research and Writing Seminar in History
Advisor(s)
Andrew Morris
Abstract
On the eve of the 12th of November, 2015, one hundred and thirty students gathered to protest the erection of a “Free Speech wall on Cal Poly’s famed Dexter Lawn.”[1] Put together by the Cal Poly Republicans, the initially blank wall was designed to uphold the value and principle of free speech, however the wall quickly turned into a flashpoint for controversy as students took the opportunity to fill the wall with words of hate and degradation explicitly directed towards the LGBTQ, African-American, and the Muslim communities. The series of events which followed included multiple protests, several forums, and a presentation of a manifesto of demands, all over what? The construction of a crudely put together wood base with a piece of white poster paper nailed to it? No, this was an issue of bigotry, hate, and more importantly the issue of how Cal Poly’s administration was going to respond.
[1] Nick Wilson, "Cal Poly Students Protest ‘hurtful’ Remarks on Republican Club’s ‘Free Speech Wall’." The Tribune. November 12, 2016. Accessed February 01, 2016. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article44582163.html
Nick Wilson, "Cal Poly Students Protest ‘hurtful’ Remarks on Republican Club’s ‘Free Speech Wall’." The Tribune. November 12, 2016. Accessed February 01, 2016. http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article44582163.html
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cphistory/4