The Huffington Post is reporting that the Center for the Education of Women at the University of Michigan has rescinded an invitation to Alice Walker to attend its 50th anniversary next year. Officials may have been prompted by her past criticism of Israel, says the Pulitizer Prize-winning author.
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On her blog, Walker posted a letter she said she received from an individual at the school:
I’m saddened to write this because I’m a proponent of free speech and have been brought up to allow everyone to have their say. But I also realize that there are other considerations that institutions are faced with. This afternoon I was contacted by the University of Michigan instructing me to withdraw their invitation due to the removal of funding from the donors, because of their interpretation of Ms. Walker’s comments regarding Israel.
On the Center's website, Director Gloria Thomas released a statement apologizing for the handling of Walker's invitation. She wrote that donors had "no bearing" on the decision and that the decision came from her, because she "did not think Ms. Walker would be the optimum choice for the celebratory nature of our 50th anniversary event."
Read more at the Huffington Post.
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