NAACP calls for University of South Carolina to cancel ‘roast’ of Harris

The NAACP has joined a host of students in calling for the University of South Carolina to cancel a scheduled “roast” of Vice President Harris. 

In a letter to university President Michael Amiridis, the organization said that while it is nonpartisan and does not endorse candidates, it was “compelled to write this letter because of the blatant sexist and racist nature of the event, the advertisement for it, and the potential for violence on campus because of the proposed event.”

“Hate speech has long served as a weapon to undermine the progress of our nation. At a time where we are witnessing groundbreaking history, bad actors aim to cast a dark shadow on those very achievements,” Derrick Johnson, NAACP president and CEO, said in a separate statement. 

“If South Carolina University’s leadership values their Black students, it’s only right they shut this event down. Our nation’s schools must remain havens for learning, not platforms for hate. It is imperative that the university takes swift action in this matter and protects the campus community from patterns of divisiveness and degradation.”

The event, scheduled for Sept. 18, is the work of the student chapter of Uncensored America, a nonpartisan organization fighting for freedom of speech. 

The event’s “roastmasters” are Gavin McInnes, founder of the Proud Boys, and Milo Yiannopoulos, a right-wing media personality who has previously come under fire for misogynistic, racist, xenophobic and transphobic comments. 

“While the NAACP is a staunch advocate for, and defender of, free speech, in light of the advertisement used for the proposed event, the NAACP urges USC to cancel the proposed event, not because of what might be said at the event, but because of what already has been said and depicted in the obscene advertisement,” the NAACP’s letter reads. 

“History also has shown that the presence of these speakers creates an undeniable risk of violence from those attracted to campus by such speakers,” the letter adds, referring to when Yiannopoulos was scheduled to speak at the University of California, Berkeley but canceled after a group of about 150 violent “agitators” interrupted a peaceful protest of more than 1,500. The protest saw large fires and several broken windows as a result. 

The NAACP also highlights that the Proud Boys organization is on the Canadian terrorist list; McInnes is a Canadian citizen. 

“Put simply, inviting to USC the founder of a terrorist group, which has a history of violence, and a speaker, whose presence results in violence and property damage, would present a clear and immediate danger to the student body, campus personnel, and visitors,” the NAACP’s letter concludes.

“As President, you have a duty to protect the students who have chosen to matriculate at USC, your employees, and campus guests. We urge you to make the correct decision and cancel the proposed event.”

The NAACP’s letter follows an online petition organized by student leaders, which has garnered more than 22,000 signatures.

“The values espoused by both speakers, including the Founder of the Proud Boys organization and another individual with a history of making racist, sexist, and homophobic comments, are not in alignment with the values outlined in the Carolinian Creed. Their discriminatory views directly target the diverse minority population of students and alumni at USC, a community that the university takes great pride in,” the petition states. 

The petition adds that the event exemplifies a larger campus issue in which minority students have raised concerns about the campus environment. 

“In order to ensure an environment of inclusive excellence, we must prevent USC from being associated with events like [the roast] to ensure marginalized students who experience discrimination outside of campus can feel safe and welcomed at our university,” the petition says. 

Amiridis said in a statement with Thad Westbrook, chairman of the university’s Board of Trustee, that the university is “steadfast in safeguarding the First Amendment rights of our students, even when we may be offended by their choices and statements.”

“We do not know what the speakers plan to say during the event, but they have used vulgar language in promotional material, and they have said troubling and offensive things in the past. As a university, we denounce hate and bigotry,” the pair said.

They added that censoring “even the most hateful individuals and groups does not solve the problems we face in our society and instead provides them with a platform to win more publicity and support, because their message was silenced.”

“Democracy requires active engagement and participation in the face of views we oppose,” they concluded. “Let your voices be heard through peaceful civil discourse that generates constructive debates even amid the most hateful words or images you can imagine. In these divisive times, we can change the narrative with the skills, grace and intelligence that USC has long cultivated in its students.”

Updated: Sept. 4 at 9:06 a.m.