New Era Colorado Calls on University of Colorado Regents to Close Benson Center

June 21, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 21, 2022

CONTACT: Morgan Royal, deputy director

303-506-6788

Morgan@NewEraColorado.org

New Era Colorado Calls on University of Colorado Regents to Close Benson Center 

BOULDER, CO — In light of information about John Eastman’s involvement in the attempted insurrection revealed by the Jan. 6 committee hearings, New Era Colorado, the leading voice for young people in Colorado politics, once again asks the University of Colorado-Boulder (CU) Regents to close the Bruce D. Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization (Benson Center). The recent hearings revealed Eastman’s key role in orchestrating the violent plot to overthrow American democracy, including the use of his university email to persuade lawmakers to disregard election results. His actions as the visiting scholar at the Benson Center permanently tarnished the reputation of CU and calls into question the purpose of the center itself.

“The elected Regents must take accountability for the conduct of university departments and academics at every level — including the harm caused to students and community members of color by protecting perpetrators of undemocratic and racist ideologies,” said Morgan Royal, deputy director of New Era Colorado. “The relationship between John Eastman, the Jan. 6 insurrection, and the Benson Center demonstrates that the center’s values are antithetical to a fair and just democratic society.”

This is not the first time the Colorado community has asked CU to condemn Eastman and close the center. New Era Colorado has been collecting signatures since April 2022 for a petition to close the Benson Center and The Denver Post Editorial Board recently amplified the call, remarking: “The closest that our nation has come to a constitutional crisis in more than a century happened largely because of the actions of the Benson Center’s top thought leader.”

“The Benson Center is a symbol of white supremacy, made even more clear by the university’s continued endorsement of scholars who spread harmful disinformation and hateful speech,” said Royal. “Young people in Colorado, especially Coloradans of color, are tired of institutions preserving the ideologies that protect the powerful few at our expense. It’s time for CU to take a stand and close the Benson Center.”

About New Era Colorado

New Era Colorado is a grassroots and nonpartisan nonprofit that organizes and mobilizes young people to participate in the political process. The organization works closely with students and community members through civic engagement, issue advocacy, and leadership development.

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