Ayers Addresses AFCON; Chaos DOES NOT Ensue

One year after the UNL administration cancelled a conference presentation by Prof. William Ayers, citing security concerns, Ayers addressed the annual meeting of AFCON at a meeting well-attended, but sparsely protested.

About a dozen protesters picketed outside of the AFCON meeting at which Ayers encouraged educators to instill in their students the practice of questioning, arguing that a healthy democracy requires free speech, free academic inquiry, and free thought.

Coverage of the event in the Omaha World Herald noted the relatively poor turnout of protesters, given the anxiety that attended last November’s cancellation. The speech was also covered in the Lincoln Journal Star.