Sadjadpour Daryl Michael Scott Diana Senechal Jennifer Senior Judith Shulevitz Jesse Singal Anne-Marie Slaughter Andrew Solomon Deborah Solomon Allison Stanger Paul Starr Wendell Steavenson Gloria Steinem Nadine Strossen Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. Kian Tajbakhsh Zephyr Teachout Cynthia Tucker Adaner Usmani Chloé Valdary Lucía Martínez Valdivia Helen Vendler Judy B. Walzer Michael Walzer Eric K. Washington Caroline Weber Randi Weingarten Bari Weiss Cornel West Sean Wilentz Garry Wills Thomas Chatterton Williams Robert F. Worth Molly Worthen Matthew Yglesias Emily Yoffe Cathy Young Fareed Zakaria Reaction The letter drew mixed reactions on social media. In an opinion piece for CNN, John Avlon praised the letter, writing, "Demonizing principled disagreement does not advance liberal values—it fuels negative partisan narratives that Trump's reelection depends on. It can distract from actual purveyors of hate, and a sitting President who advances policies that are often racist or homophobic as well as anti-immigrant." In another CNN opinion piece, Jeff Yang criticized the letter, writing, "it's hard not to see the letter as merely an elegantly written affirmation of elitism and privilege", and that the signatories "in the face of resultant backlash, dismissed rebuttals and positioned themselves as beleaguered victims of the current culture, turning their support for open debate and free expression into an example of stark hypocrisy or sly gaslighting." Historian Nicole Hemmer criticized the letter's timing, stating that the letter primarily blamed cancel culture for disrupting free and open conversations at a moment during the George Floyd protests when it was becoming clearer what influence institutions had in controlling debate. Vox writer and signatory Matthew Yglesias faced pushback from transgender coworker Emily St. James, who criticized the letter for being signed by "several prominent anti-trans voices". This included Rowling, who attracted controversy for her comments on transgender issues. A response letter, "A More Specific Letter on Justice and Open Debate", organized by the lecturer Arionne Nettles and signed by over 160 people in academia and media, critiqued the Harper's letter as a plea to end cancel culture by successful professionals with large platforms while excluding others who have been "cancelled for generations". The response named specific incidents in which Black people were silenced by their institutions. Multiple signatories omitted either their names or institutional affiliations, citing fear of "professional retaliation". Kerri Greenidge later asked for her name to be removed from the Harper's letter, which was done. References External links A Letter on Justice and