William Harris
William Harris received his B.A. from Haverford College, where he majored in history with minors in Spanish and the history of art. His senior thesis, “Dare to Look: Manuel Godoy’s Secret Cabinet and Enlightenment in Eighteenth-Century Spain,” analyzed the late Inquisition’s censorship of art and literature and won the History Department Senior Thesis Prize. William gave a TED Talk on art censorship drawn from his research in May 2024.
William first joined FIRE as an undergraduate, working as a FIRE Summer Intern and as a FIRE Campus Scholar. Currently, William works as a Program Associate on the Engagement and Mobilization team. As part of his work to identify, cultivate, and activate free speech advocates, William oversees FIRE’s Let’s Talk civil discourse program, a network of independent student organizations dedicated to dialogue across differences on college campuses.
An alum of Haverford’s varsity cross country and track teams, you can find William running, cycling, and rowing along the Schuylkill River when not at work promoting free expression.
Recent Writings
- Norwich University student journalists stand up for a free, independent press ,
- How to survive Thanksgiving,
- Trailblazing Dartmouth students bring dialogue across difference to campus,
- Let your free speech-failing alma mater know: ‘I put my money where my mouth is.’,
- Protesting, postering, or planning a campus event? Your college’s policies might have just changed.,
- Olympic controversies underscore importance of free speech culture ,
- New alumni group brings free speech advocacy to UT Austin,
- What happened on BET when Usher tried to speak? ,
- What is your major malfunction, Amazon? ,
- Sounding the FIRE alarm at Haverford College,
Host a FIRE Speaker
Hosting a FIRE speaker is a great way to catalyze social change by educating members of your community about the importance of free speech, due process, and religious liberty.
Explore Our Work
FIRE is a mission-driven organization of hardworking, dedicated team members committed to defending and sustaining the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought.
Explore FIRE's Advocacy