Federal judge orders university to allow ex-radical William Ayers to speak . Ayers and Obama served on the Annenberg Challenge board and on the board of another Chicago , Illinois , charitable foundation , the Woods Fund , in the 1990s . The former Black Panther leader was barred from speaking at the University of Illinois in 2007 after he said that President Barack Obama is a "racist" and an "anti-American radical." Speech was canceled over security concerns , university officials say . Ayers is former leader of Weather Underground .
Federal judge orders university to allow ex-radical William Ayers to speak . The former Black Panther leader was barred from speaking at the University of Illinois in 2007 after he said that President Barack Obama is a "racist" and an "anti-American radical." Speech was canceled over security concerns , university officials say . Ayers is former leader of Weather Underground .