In a world of deep fakes, censorship, cancellations, and allegations of hate crimes left and right, University of Virginia students, faculty, and alumni have a great opportunity to be leaders in the higher education community. Incidents like the Morgan Bettinger lawsuit, the Matan Goldstein lawsuit, and the Gaza-Israeli Protests on Grounds have sparked conversations about intellectual diversity. We want UVA to be known for its culture of civil dialogue, to carry on Jefferson’s legacy of the free exchange of competing ideas. 

In that spirit, The Jefferson Council looks forward to having Wilfred Reilly on Grounds this December 5 for “Civil Conversations About Hate Crimes and Hoaxes: How UVA Can be an Intellectual Diversity Leader.” Reilly is a distinguished author, speaker, and advocate for true intellectual diversity on US college campuses, including at Kentucky State where he serves as associate professor of political science. We look forward to hearing his insights on the compelling need for a return to civil discourse, followed by a time of Q&A from UVA students, faculty, administration, and TJC members.

The event will be co-hosted in partnership with Young Americans for Freedom in Minor Hall (Room 125). Doors open at 6:45 PM.

About the Speaker

Wilfred Reilly is an associate professor of political science at Kentucky State University, and the author of Lies My Liberal Teacher Told Me,Taboo: 10 Facts You Can't Talk About, and Hate Crime Hoax. Reilly, alone or in combination with others, has published more than 100 articles across both national media and academic outlets, including  Administration and Society, P.N.A.S., Academic Questions, National Review, Commentary, Newsweek, Spiked UK, and Quillette. His research interests include international relations, contemporary American race relations, and the use of modern quantitative methods to test "sacred cow" theories like the existence of widespread white privilege. Off work, he enjoys dogs, archery, basketball, Asian cooking, and beer.