Sunday, November 8 at 5:00 pm on Zoom

As political campaigns and conflicting protests have amply demonstrated in this contentious election year, learning to maneuver the fast-changing, treacherous landscape of public discourse has never been more urgent. Suzanne Nossel, a leading voice in support of free expression, will address this important issue in an upcoming Amram Scholar Series program. From online trolls to fascist chat groups, controversies over campus lectures, and tweets that can launch or end careers, Nossel will examine the debates about free speech that dominate our headlines and fuel storms on social media.

The chief executive officer of PEN America, an organization founded in 1922 to support the free expression of written information and ideas, Nossel is the author of Dare to Speak: Defending Free Speech for All. With free speech often pitted against other progressive axioms—namely diversity and equality – her new book presents a clear-eyed argument that the drive to create a more inclusive society need not, and must not, compromise robust protections of expression. Noting the importance of the right to express even offensive views, she quotes the French Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

Nossel previously served as the chief operating officer of Human Rights Watch, executive director of Amnesty International USA, and vice president for strategy and operations at The Wall Street Journal. She is a featured columnist for Foreign Policy Magazineand a widely published commentator on timely public issues.

Suzanne Nossel comes to the Amram Scholar Series in cooperation with the Jewish Book Council. 

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