Balancing Voices: The Intersection of Free Speech and Racism in Modern Society

OPENING REMARKS

Mark S. Wolff is the Morton Amsterdam Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine and a Professor in the Department of Preventative and Restorative Dentistry. Dr. Wolff joined Penn Dental Medicine as the 12th Dean of the School. He is a celebrated teacher, globally engaged scholar, and deeply experienced clinician. Prior to joining Penn Dental Medicine, he was professor and chair of cariology and comprehensive care at the College of Dentistry at New York University (NYU) and also the College’s senior associate dean for development and alumni relations. Dr. Wolff has completed numerous international research and oral health assessment programs and has been a lifelong advocate and dental provider for individuals with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities of all ages.

Katharine O. Strunk is the Dean of the Graduate School of Education and the George and Diane Weiss Professor of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. She is nationally renowned for her partner-driven research and leadership, which has brought multimethod, collaborative scholarship to bear on pressing questions facing education and educators. She partners extensively with district and state policy makers, including working with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the California and Michigan Departments of Education. She served as the only researcher on Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Student Recovery Advisory Council, which informed COVID-19 recovery efforts in schools statewide. She has also advised on numerous major local and state education reforms.

FREE SPEECH LECTURE

Anita L. Allen is the Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy. A graduate of Harvard Law with a PhD from the University of Michigan in Philosophy, Allen is internationally renowned as an expert on philosophical and social justice dimensions of privacy and data protection law; ethics; bioethics; legal philosophy; women’s reproductive rights; and faculty advancement. She was Penn’s Vice Provost for Faculty from 2013-2020 and chaired the Provost’s Arts Advisory Council.

PANEL MODERATOR

The Rev. Charles (Chaz) Howard is the University Chaplain and Vice President for Social Equity and Community at the University of Pennsylvania. After graduating Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences in the year 2000, he served in both hospital and hospice chaplaincies, and as a street outreach worker to individuals experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia before returning to his alma mater. His writing has been featured in such publications as The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily Good, Sojourners Magazine, Chronicle of Higher Education, The Huffington Post, The Christian Century, The Forward, Democratic Left, and Slate. He is the author of five books including most recently “Pond River Ocean Rain” and “The Bottom: A Theopoetic of the Streets.” He shares life with his beloved wife, Dr. Lia C. Howard and their three daughters.

PANELISTS

Fariha Khan is the Co-Director of the Asian American Studies program at the University of Pennsylvania. She received a Master’s degree in Arabic and Islamic Studies from Yale University and a PhD in Folklore and Folklife from the University of Pennsylvania. She teaches courses such as South Asians in the U.S., Asian American Communities, and American Race all focusing on Philadelphia. Her current research includes South Asian American Muslims, food, race and ethnicity, as well as Asian American folklore. Dr. Khan has published in the Journal of American Folklore and the “Oxford Handbook of American Folklore and Folklife Studies.”

Mei Long is the Director of the Pan-Asian American Community House (PAACH) at Penn. Prior to joining PAACH in July 2023, she served as Associate Director of Academic Affairs and Advising at the Wharton School’s Undergraduate Division for five years. Mei’s experience also includes teaching and career advising at Penn and other institutions. Across all her positions, she remains deeply committed to fostering inclusive environments where students of all backgrounds can thrive academically, culturally, and professionally. Originally from southern China and a former international student, Mei is currently pursuing a doctorate in Higher Education at the Penn Graduate School of Education, where she also earned her master’s degree.

Joshua Teplitsky is an associate professor and the Joseph Meyerhoff Chair in Modern Jewish History at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Ruth Meltzer director of the Program in Jewish Studies at Penn. He is the author of Prince of the Press: How One Collector Built History’s Most Enduring and Remarkable Jewish Library (Yale, 2019), editor, with Warren Klein and Sharon Liberman Mintz of Be Fruitful! The Etrog in Jewish Art, Culture, and History(Mineged, 2022), and one of the four project coordinators of the Digital Humanities Project Footprints: Jewish Books through Time and Place. He served on the University Task Force on Antisemitism.

Jane Holahan is the Executive Director of the Weingarten Learning Resources Center. She creates initiatives that integrate the services of the Weingarten Center to strengthen programs for students. She serves on University committees to promote the Weingarten Center mission and collaborate with campus stakeholders to advertise the services of the Weingarten Center. Addtionally, she incorporates the University Life mission and goals within the Weingarten Center services, and facilitates Weingarten Center Advisory Board meetings, participate in planning for the Annual Disability Symposium, and support professional development activities for Weingarten Center staff.