3,000 Signatures in Support of Ayers

“It’s true that Professor Ayers participated passionately in the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s, as did hundreds of thousands of Americans,” reads the statement, which was posted on www.supportbillayers.org. “His participation in political activity 40 years ago is history; what is most relevant now is his continued engagement in progressive causes, and his exemplary contribution — including publishing 16 books — to the field of education.”

The letter is described on the Web site as an outlet for educators looking for a forum to express solidarity with Ayers, noting that its contents could be used in advertisements or press releases in the future.

Bill Schubert, a professor of education at Illinois-Chicago, said he signed the letter to show support for his longtime colleague and friend.

“I certainly support him in the sense that I think he’s an outstanding faculty member and a good colleague,” Schubert said. “I’m very disheartened by any discrediting kind of material in the news.”

The letter, which had been signed by more than 3,000 educators as of Monday, does not specifically mention the most severe allegations from Ayers’ past. The Weather Underground, which Ayers helped to found, planned a series of bombings — mostly aimed at property damage — that took aim, among other sites, at the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol. While deaths were attributed to the group, Ayers was never accused of killing anyone. Federal riot and bombing conspiracy charges were brought against Ayers, but the charges were dropped in 1974 because of prosecutorial misconduct.

Faculty members interviewed for this article stressed that Ayers has emerged as a prominent scholar in the field of education, and they say Ayers’s past is viewed by his colleagues as irrelevant to his current work. Active in faculty governance as well as research, Ayers was recently elected to represent his department on the Illinois-Chicago Faculty Senate for the next three years. He is described by many as a personable professor, known to invite his classes over for dinner at his home.