As a former college professor who speaks and writes about hot-button issues, and as a Black man who criticizes progressive politics regularly, I often find myself the subject of false accusations—claims that not only distort my actions but reverse them entirely—from people some may call progressive activists. (Apparently, as a Black man, my critique of leftist politics is especially detrimental to social justice.) I want to be clear: I’m not talking about misunderstandings or heated misinterpretations. I’m talking about outright lies.

I can provide one of many examples. Last year, I testified before Congress with three other panelists on the dangers of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, specifically the kind undergirded by critical social justice. I called critical social justice a “quasi-Marxist” ideology that deals in contrived social dichotomies (e.g., Blacks vs. whites), prioritized lived experience, positionality, ever-present racism and the demonization of cultural values deemed “white” (e.g., individualism, hard work, punctuality).

In response to this hearing, a group of academic DEI officers, under the auspices of the USC Race and Equity Center, created a report titled “Truths About DEI on College Campuses.” Full of dishonesty about the hearing and the motivations of its panelists, the report is riddled with logical, psychological and material fallacies. Joy Gaston Gayles, a distinguished professor and head of the Educational Leadership, Policy, and Human Development Department at North Carolina State University, wrote this in her contribution to the document:

When diverse perspectives backed by evidence and thoughtful analysis are entered into the discourse, speech is restricted and banned. This was evident in Dr. Erec Smith’s (an expert witness in the March 7 hearing) recommendation to audit faculty who discuss DEI issues in classrooms, which is a direct infringement on academic freedom and free speech.