Bill Nigut, the Southeast Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), will open the UTC Diversity Lecture Series on Thursday October 27th at 5 p.m. Nigut’s lecture, entitled “Fighting Hate: Building Communities of Respect,” will take place in the University Center Auditorium. This event is free and open to the public.
The University partnered with the City of Chattanooga Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Southeast Tennessee Civil Rights Working Group to offer the first lecture in the Diversity Lecture Series.
“This event represents a collaboration among campus and community partners to think and talk about topics that stir emotions and challenge us all in terms of attitudes, behaviors, and public policy. Hate is a prime example of a wide spectrum of behaviors that involve intimidation, threats, assaults, and murder. It is important that the public understand the boundaries of free speech and what legal recourses are available to victims of hate crime,” Dr. Roger Thompson, UTC Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, said
The Anti-Defamation League was founded in 1913 to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all. Now the nation’s premier civil rights/human relations agency, ADL fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects civil rights for all.
Nigut joined the ADL in 2007. He most recently served as president and chief executive officer of the Metro Atlanta Arts and Culture Coalition. He previously worked for 20 years as a political reporter for WSB-TV in Atlanta.
