Censored at Evergreen

"Censorship—The change in the access status of material, made by a governing authority or its representatives. Such changes include: exclusion, restriction, removal, or age/grade level changes." — American Library Association

Those of us who attended The Evergreen State College in its first year prided ourselves in our ability to stand up for a cause. Many of us were in the forefront of a battle for peace, a battle to end the war in Vietnam. We spoke—and acted—with the power of our convictions, and loved Evergreen because it was nurturing haven for free speech and creative ideas. This did not just happen. The first Greeners were a raucous, undisciplined, free-thinking, and authority-challenging bunch who wouldn't hesitate to stand up en masse and walk out on a professor who bullshitted them.

The request for comments, photographs, and memories to create an Alumni 25th anniversary retrospective of those heady early years was welcomed with excitement by many--but no one was more excited than Steve Park. He spent many days crafting perhaps his funniest and best cartoons reminiscing on his Evergreen experience. According to several reports, it was the most popular part of the exhibit when it was posted in the library. Park was ecstatic when he learned that his cartoons were going to be published as part of a book, "Student Voices of '71", produced by the college.

To say I was shocked to hear that the administration chose to censor his work because of its "racism" is an understatement. The book was first published with all the cartoon panels intact. After receiving some complaints, the college administration withdrew the book and republished it with Park's cartoon panels removed.

This blatant act of censorship—there is little else to call it—has outraged a number of Alumni who believe Evergreen stood for the highest principles of free speech and intellectual freedom. With their support, I have put Steve Park's cartoon here on my web site for all to view in it's original, uncensored, offensive, and scathingly funny form. We have chosen to withhold financial contributions to the school until this matter is fully aired and resolved satisfactorily—and urge you to do the same. We particularly urge you NOT TO BUY THE CENSORED BOOK! Please feel free to send me your comments—after you read the cartoon.

Roger Goldingay, Class of 1973.

"If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed." — Benjamin Franklin

Censored at Evergreen - Panel #1