Ward Churchill

Ward Churchill
Churchill speaking at the Bay Area Anarchist Book Fair in May 2005.
Born
Ward LeRoy Churchill

(1947-10-02) October 2, 1947 (age 77)[1]
Urbana, Illinois, United States
Alma materSangamon State University (BA, MA)
OccupationAuthor

Ward LeRoy Churchill (born October 2, 1947)[1] is an American activist and author. He was a professor of ethnic studies at the University of Colorado Boulder from 1990 until 2007.[2] Much of Churchill's work focuses on the historical treatment of political dissenters and Native Americans by the United States government, and he expresses controversial views in a direct, often confrontational style.[3] While Churchill has claimed Native American ancestry, genealogical research has failed to unearth such ancestry and he is not a member of a tribe.

In January 2005, Churchill's 2001 essay "On the Justice of Roosting Chickens" gained attention. In the work, he argued the September 11 attacks were a natural and unavoidable consequence of unlawful U.S. foreign policy over the latter half of the 20th century; the essay is known for Churchill's use of the phrase "little Eichmanns" to describe the "technocratic corps" working in the World Trade Center.[4]

In March 2005, the University of Colorado began investigating allegations that Churchill had engaged in research misconduct.[5] Churchill was fired on July 24, 2007.[6] Churchill filed a lawsuit against the University of Colorado for unlawful termination of employment. In April 2009, a Denver jury found that Churchill was unjustly fired, awarding him $1 in damages.[7][8] In July 2009, however, a District Court judge vacated the monetary award and declined Churchill's request to order his reinstatement, holding that the university had "quasi-judicial immunity". Churchill's appeals of this decision were unsuccessful.

  1. ^ a b "Curriculum vitae of Ward L. Churchill" (PDF). wardchurchill.net. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  2. ^ Jury Says Professor Was Wrongly Fired; New York Times; Kirk Johnson and Katherine Q. Seelye; April 2, 2009
  3. ^ Chapman Page 92–93
  4. ^ Brennan, Charlie (February 3, 2005). "College journalist touched off firestorm". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on October 16, 2008.
  5. ^ Wesson, Marianne; Clinton, Robert; Limón, José; McIntosh, Marjorie; Radelet, Michael (May 9, 2006). Report of the Investigative Committee of the Standing Committee on Research Misconduct at the University of Colorado Boulder concerning Allegations of Academic Misconduct against Professor Ward Churchill (PDF). University of Colorado Boulder. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 23, 2006.
  6. ^ Morson, Berny (July 25, 2007). "CU regents fire Ward Churchill". Rocky Mountain News.
  7. ^ Johnson, Kirk; Seelye, Katharine Q. (April 3, 2009). "Jury Says Professor Wrongly Fired". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  8. ^ John, Aguilar (April 2, 2009). "Churchill wins his case, awarded $1 in damages – Reinstatement at CU to be decided at future hearing". Daily Camera. Archived from the original on April 5, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2009.