Communicating in Tense Times

I was disappointed when 92NY, formerly the New York 92nd Street Y, postponed an event for Pulitzer Prize-laureate novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen ("The Sympathizer," "The Refugees," "The Displaced," among others) in late October 2023. However, the author had signed a controversial open letter critical of Israel's response to the Hamas terror attack on October 7.

92NY explained its decision in a well-crafted statement that successfully defused community tensions. It is a statement worth reviewing.

92NY may not have issued a Press Release on its decision to postpone Nguyen's event. If it did, I was unable to locate it for this article.

It might have been wise for 92NY to post the statement on their webpage. Others could misstate 92NY's position or insert inflammatory language that 92NY never used.

From the New York Times, here is a part of 92NY's statement:

"We are a Jewish institution that has always welcomed people with diverse viewpoints to our stage. The brutal Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel and the continued holding of hostages, including senior citizens and young children, has absolutely devastated the community. Given the public comments by the invited author on Israel and this moment, we felt the responsible course of action was to postpone the event while we take some time to determine how best to use our platform and support the entire 92NY community."

The statement, if accurate, gets to the point, the responsible postponement of Nguyen's event given the Jewish community's loss, concern for hostages, and the ongoing war.

What exactly did Nguyen, and other authors, sign? According to Democracy Now:

"Here in New York, the prestigious community and cultural center 92NY — formerly the 92nd Street Y — has temporarily postponed its literary reading series, as it faces growing backlash for canceling an event with Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen over his criticism of Israeli violence on Palestinians and calls for a ceasefire in Gaza. In response, a number of writers scheduled to participate in the monthslong series pulled out, while several 92NY staff resigned from their jobs. Writer and critic Andrea Long Chu, who is among those who pulled out of the series, referred to 92NY as a 'pro-war nonprofit'.”)

Democracy Now makes no mention of the October 7 Hamas terror attack. If this is true, it is understandable why 92NY postponed the event. If Nguyen felt the terror attack was justified, he should have been postponed. If Nguyen, and others, believe 92NY is a "pro-war nonprofit," they should not have agreed to attend.

The NYT's quoted statement by 92NY is a responsible explanation for a difficult postponement of a public programming decision.

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James Patterson