On Sept. 22, the Young Americans for Freedom chapter at the University of Michigan announced they were inviting Ben Shapiro to speak at the University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School on Nov. 15th. Shapiro, a divisive political commentator, has based his entire career on promoting extremely anti-abortion, transphobic, Islamophobic, homophobic, racist and misogynistic views, which are commonly surface-level understandings of race and sociology. His opinions, which include blaming critical race theory and the Black Lives Matter movement for America’s demise, have furthered division and hate across the nation.

We, the Ethical Investment Front, are a coalition of student leaders, organizers and community members brought together as an offshoot of the Students of Color Liberation Front, and we are concerned about Shapiro’s presence on campus. We urge the University’s Board of Regents and President Santa Ono to recognize the threat to safety that Shapiro’s presence holds and stop him from speaking at the University. His presence will only cause harm to our campus and communities in Ann Arbor and poses particular risk to students of Color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as those of other marginalized backgrounds. Please sign this petition to show your support for the greater campus community and show that hate does not belong in Ann Arbor.