Anti-war activist to speak at Lake Park forum

When former Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers planned to speak at a Naperville high school last month, a firestorm of protest erupted, leading to cancellation of the visit.

But just last year and in 2007, Ayers talked to a class at Lake Park High School in Roselle without incident. And a visit to the school today by his wife, fellow anti-Vietnam War activist Bernardine Dohrn, is being met with nary a word of protest. Dohrn, an associate professor of law at Northwestern University and director and founder of Northwestern's Children and Family Justice Center, will be among 18 speakers to address high school juniors during Lake Park's annual War and Peace Forum.

A school spokeswoman said Ayers' two appearances drew no negative feedback.

"In fact, when Bill Ayers was scheduled to speak last year, two of our fellow speakers told us that, if we pulled him from the panel, they would not have attended our forum," said Jennifer Jones Wilk, spokeswoman for Lake Park.

Last month Ayers, an education professor at University of Illinois at Chicago, was scheduled to speak at both Naperville North High School and Anderson's Book Shop in Naperville. But when the community learned of his planned appearances, some residents flooded Naperville Unit District 203 and Anderson's with angry phone calls and e-mails - prompting both to cancel their events.

Dohrn is making her first visit to Lake Park. She also was a leader in the Weather Underground, a group responsible for a series of bombings at public buildings in the 1960s and '70s.

The War and Peace Forum is a voluntary, in-school field trip for all junior students who have been studying the Vietnam War in their social studies classes and reading the Vietnam-themed book "The Things They Carried" in English units, school officials said.

Social Studies teacher Chuck Smith said all students have been informed about the background of the 18 speakers - who include Vietnam and Iraq war veterans, prisoners of war and war dissenters - and may opt out of listening to anyone they find objectionable.

"In the past we did have a few students say they didn't care to hear from Mr. Ayers, but it was not a large number," he said. "When Bill Ayers did speak, however, his points weren't so much focused on the Vietnam experience but, instead, to talk about problems now in our society and emphasize getting involved."

Lake Park officials say Dohrn's message will be similar on Wednesday. Her appearance, along with all of the other speakers, is unpaid.