AIDS in Prison

Laura Whitehorn, an AIDS activist, was convicted of the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Capitol and served a 14-year prison term. On Monday, March 3, 2003 she spoke at Duke University at the invitation of Charles Payne, a visiting professor in the African and African-American Studies Department. The invitation was controversial for two reasons. Those who objected felt it was poor judgment to invite a convicted terrorist to speak at a university. They also objected to the fact that her conviction was not disclosed to the potential audience. Those who defended the invitation cited academic freedom.

This event unfolded in two parts. In the first 1-hour-15 minutes, Ms. Whitehorn spoke about the topic she was invited to address, AIDS in prison. She took written questions from the students on this topic alone. After a short break the room was re-arranged for an open forum with the students, some of whom spearheaded the criticism of her invitation to speak at Duke. close