Category Archives: Speakers, Panels and Events

It is no secret that free speech on college campuses is under attack. But is this new model for campus speech in line with University of Virginia’s founder, Thomas Jefferson? Students and professors alike experience pressure to either avoid or hyperfocus on controversial topics with limited room for honest and rigorous debate. If we can’t even discuss Jefferson’s own legacy with freedom of thought, what does this tell us about the future of Western civilization? Is Jefferson’s university no longer a marketplace of ideas, questions, argument, and discovery? If not, where are the alternative forums today? Where do we go from here?

Join bestselling author, “Uncanceled History” podcast host, and associate editor of The Spectator, Douglas Murray, to discuss this and more with UVA students on February 21, 2023, from 7:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M.

Murray, the author of “The War on the West” and “The Madness of Crowds,” is one of the most incisive commentators today on the 21st-century culture wars. The Jefferson Council is pleased to partner with The Commonsense Society to bring him to the University of Virginia. Space is limited.

Click here to download a free ticket.

The Jefferson Council has received a response to its inquiries why a speech at the University of Virginia law school featuring Erin Hawley, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, was canceled.

The Federalist Society made the decision “out of respect for the tragedy that occurred Sunday night,” said Julia Jeanette Mroz, president of the UVa chapter. “As a student group, we felt it appropriate to follow the University’s lead in designating today a Day of Observance.”

Left-wing student groups had denounced the speech on the grounds that the Alliance is a “hate” group and Hawley’s presence would make members of the LGBQT+ community feel uncomfortable.

Those denunciations were not a factor in the decision to cancel the event. “No other circumstances bore on this decision,” said Mroz, adding that she hopes can be rescheduled to the spring semester.

We have updated our post about the event, accordingly.

Mia Love

by James A. Bacon

When Mia Love spoke at the University of Virginia last night, she could have told insider stories about her two terms as the only Black female Republican elected to Congress. She could have dished juicy details about what it was like as the sole GOP member of the Congressional Black Caucus, or the frustrating conversations with President Trump about recruiting Haitian immigrants into the Republican Party, or the $450,000 she had to raise and hand over to GOP party leaders to secure preferred committee assignments. She could have talked public policy about issues she cares about such as abortion or the nation’s profligate fiscal and monetary policies.

But she didn’t. Since losing a razor-thin re-election bid in 2018, she has been residing happily with her husband and three children in Salt Lake City. Although she appears as a talking head on CNN, she is writing a book and her thoughts have turned to a more inspirational direction.

Drawing heavily from personal experience, Love used the speech to explore how to live a life of freedom, integrity and purpose. Continue reading →