Press Releases

New Tolerance Campaign and FIRE Join Forces to Rally Grassroots Action in Support of Free Speech at Emerson College

Presidential Search Committee to hear from everyday Americans requesting a pledge to support viewpoint diversity from the school’s next leader

Washington, DC & Philadelphia, PA — The New Tolerance Campaign (NTC) today announced a partnership with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) on a grassroots campaign calling for a commitment to freedom of speech from the next president of Emerson College in Boston. Students, alumni, and concerned citizens can send messages directly to members of the Emerson College Presidential Search Committee requesting a public pledge to uphold viewpoint diversity standards from whomever is selected as the school’s next leader.

“It is encouraging that Emerson is making free expression a top priority as it selects a new president,” said FIRE Program Officer Graham Piro. “However, the new president will have significant work to do to correct the college’s treatment of student groups like Turning Point USA. Emerson makes strong promises of free expression to its students, and NTC and FIRE will be there every step of the way to ensure the college honors the promises it makes.”

Both NTC and FIRE have been active in pushing back against illiberal activity by Emerson administrators     , including the college’s de-recognizing      of its Turning Point USA chapter for criticizing the Chinese government. Emerson’s actions over the past year-and-a-half earned the college a place on FIRE’s 2022 list of the “10 Worst Colleges for Free Speech.”

“The New Tolerance Campaign is honored to link arms with FIRE, activating grassroots supporters with a reasonable request: a commitment from Emerson’s next president to uphold the school’s stated values,” New Tolerance Campaign President Gregory T. Angelo added. “By making the voices of alumni and everyday Americans heard by the Presidential Search Committee, we hope to encourage the selection of a chief executive who understands the necessity of freedom of expression at Emerson, and its value in American culture.”

About the New Tolerance Campaign: The New Tolerance Campaign (NTC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit watchdog organization mobilizing Americans to confront intolerance double-standards by establishment institutions, civil rights groups, universities, and socially conscious brands. NTC campaigns empower everyday Americans to hold accountable self-proclaimed arbiters of tolerance when they betray their own stated values. Visit newtolerance.org for more info.

About FIRE: The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought — the most essential qualities of liberty. FIRE recognizes that colleges and universities play a vital role in preserving free thought within a free society. To this end, it places a special emphasis on defending the individual rights of students and faculty members on our nation’s campuses, including freedom of speech, freedom of association, due process, legal equality, religious liberty, and sanctity of conscience.