Newswise — SPOKANE, Wash. — The Gonzaga University Institute for Hate Studies will mark its 20th anniversary with a program featuring a video presentation by Nadine Strossen, author, law professor and former president of the American Civil Liberties Union, followed by a panel discussion. The event begins at 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 12 in the Hemmingson Center Ballroom.

Registration is required for the event, which is free and open to the public. To register for tickets and for ticket distribution information, visit https://commerce.cashnet.com/GIHS. The event recognizes the Institute’s accomplishments since its first major event in 1998.

“Our work remains as relevant as ever in today’s context,” said Kristine Hoover, director of the Institute. “We invite the regional community to join us as we do the difficult work to help build a more just and equitable society.”

The presentation by Strossen, the John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law at New York University Law School and author of “Hate: Why We Should Resist It with Free Speech, Not Censorship,” will be live-streamed. The panel discussion, titled “Free speech and caring: Leaning into the Tensions of Our Times,” will feature Joan Iva Fawcett, Gonzaga’s assistant dean of diversity, inclusion, community & equity; Gonzaga Law Professor Emeritus George Critchlow; and Vik Gumbhir, associate professor of sociology and criminal justice.

Professor Strossen has received many recognitions, including the Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. She has been named one of “The 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America” as well as “America’s 100 Most Important Women” and was acknowledged as one of the “350 Women Who Changed the World.”

The evening will close with a performance “How Can I Cry” by the Gonzaga Choir, directed by Timothy Westerhaus.

“The program intends to elevate the important role of our community in telling our stories, both our challenges and victories, in the struggle to stand against hate and for human rights,” Hoover said. “Our goal for the evening includes recognizing tensions and ethical dilemmas between free speech and concern for the well-being for others.”

About the Gonzaga University Institute for Hate Studies

• The Gonzaga University Institute for Hate Studies advances the academic field of hate studies and links the Gonzaga community with experts and key stakeholders worldwide through inquiry, scholarship, and service. 
• The Institute will host the Fifth International Conference on Hate Studies, “Building Peace through Kindness, Dialogue, and Forgiveness,” April 2-4 (2019) in the Hemmingson Center. 
• Powered by Gonzaga’s mission and heritage, the Institute works for the realization of a global society committed to human flourishing and the common good. 
• Founded in response to institutional and regional context, the Institute is a positive, enduring, and distinctive catalyst within academia toward greater knowledge of the human condition, the advancement of human dignity and human rights, and the hope of a just, inclusive public life.
The Journal of Hate Studies is a peer-reviewed international scholarly journal published by the Gonzaga University Institute for Hate Studies.

For more information, including details on sponsorship opportunities, contact Kristine Hoover at (509) 313-3665 or via email at [email protected] or visit the Gonzaga University Institute for Hate Studies online

Journal Link: Journal of Hate Studies