Ward Churchill: Colonialism Past, Present and Future

Ward Churchill is one of the most outspoken Native American activists and scholars in North America, and a leading analyst of indigenous issues. Churchill earned international infamy in 2005 when Fox “News” personality and far-right mouthpiece Bill O’Reilley launched a smear campaign against him that resulted in Churchill’s life being threatened, his home vandalized and his career as Professor of Ethnic Studies and Coordinator of American Indian Studies at the University of Colorado jeopardized.

In the subsequent climate of political correctness, the University of Winnipeg Student Association, in collaboration with the University of Winnipeg Aboriginal Student Council, revoked their invitation for Churchill to speak (without explanation) on campus in 2005.

Apparently, neither academic freedom nor excellence are on the agenda for the U of W, despite the fact that there has been a mass international mobilization of academics to Churchill’s defense against the myriad smears and allegations against him in this character-assassination campaign, a partial list of whom appears at the end of this release.

Thankfully, independent and clear-headed factions within each University – the University of Manitoba History Department, and CKUW 95.9 FM at the University of Winnipeg – along with G7 Welcoming Committee Records, refuse to succumb to the destabilization campaign that’s been leveled against Ward, instead favouring free public discourse of the nature one would expect to reign supreme in a democratic society.