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Judgment of the Black Judiciary Committee on "The Shockley Incident"

Title
Judgment of the Black Judiciary Committee on "The Shockley Incident"
Description
Members of Dartmouth’s Black Judicial Advisory Committee (JAC) recommend that no penalty be incurred against the 17 Black students who participated in a clapping demonstration during a presentation by Dr. William Shockley. They conclude that Shockley’s speech was “group libel,” attacking and defaming the Black community on the basis of its race, and therefore determined that his speech was neither protected under the U.S. Constitution nor the College’s “equal opportunity” principle. Committee members call for Dartmouth to clarify rules governing campus behavior, including what kind of speech should not be interfered with at the College. The authors also call upon the Dean of the College and alumni to reconsider their view that the student protesters undermined their fight for equality by violating principles of free speech, as JAC members contend that the student demonstrators merely acted in self-defense.
Creator
Larry Barr, Robert Carter, Henry W. Ehrmann, Issac Heard, Errol Hill, Robert McGuire, Jonathan Mirsky, Larry Stephans
Date Created
1969-11-25
Publisher
Dartmouth College
Place of Publication
Hanover, NH
Citation Information
Barr, Larry et al. Judgment of the Black Judiciary Committee on “The Shockley Incident.” Nov. 25, 1969. Hanover, NH: Dartmouth College, 1969. Errol Hill papers, ML-77, Box 7, Folder 51, Rauner Special Collections Library.

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