The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog:
Dear Editor,
The civil rights of African-Americans were trampled when Kean University caved into demands from extremists in the law enforcement community by dropping hip-hop recording artist and actor, Lonnie Rashid Lynn, also known by his stage name, Common, as commencement speaker.
Common’s right to speak was attacked over a song he recorded 15 years ago, which supported the innocence of Assata Shakur, godmother of late rapper Tupac Shakur (born Joanne Chesimard), a Black Panther activist who bravely escaped a New Jersey prison in the 1970s and has since lived in Cuba after she was wrongly convicted of shooting a state trooper in a highly controversial trial that many view as part of the FBI’s clandestine COINTELPRO targeting of Shakur.
Kean University has demonstrated a lack of commitment to freedom of expression and a bias against African American civil rights along with the free speech rights of all minority students, staff and faculty in this decision.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), the Congressional Black Caucus and many other supporters of African-American civil rights share Common’s sentiments on the Shakur case. So does the evidence that shows Shakur had no gun power residue on her hands and had her hands in the air when the other trooper shot her. Around the same time period, Shakur had been acquitted 7 times of unrelated charges in different cases. Someone was clearly trying to set her up. This is why Cuba has granted her political asylum.
Kean University should restore Common as the commencement speaker and invite Angela Davis to come to Kean University to lead a symposium on persecution of civil rights leaders.
Eric Hafner
Toms River
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