Joseph Vogel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Joseph Vogel | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 4, 1981 Provo, Utah |
| Occupation | Author |
| Nationality |  United States |
Joseph Vogel (born August 4, 1981) is an American author and activist.
He made national headlines in 2004 when, as Student Vice President of Academics at Utah Valley State, he invited film maker Michael Moore to speak on campus.1 The invitation incited an uproar amongst the local, predominantly conservative community, leading to bribes, extortion, lawsuits, and threats of violence.2 Vogel subsequently wrote a book on the experience entitled Free Speech 101, which was a 2007 Independent Publisher Book Award Finalist. 3 The book was described by author Donald Downs as "a riveting and telling first-hand account...into the politics, psychology, and principles that are at stake in emotional free speech conflicts." 4 An award-winning documentary, This Divided State (in which Vogel appears), also recounts the story of Michael Moore's controversial visit to Utah Valley. 5
In 2007, Vogel helped a group known as the "BYU 25" organize an "alternative commencement" in protest of Vice President Dick Cheney's invitation to speak at Brigham Young University's graduation ceremony.6 78 Although some press reported that these were the first protests on BYU's campus in over 15 years, in fact there were at least five unrelated protests on BYU campus in the 18 months preceding Cheney's visit.9 The "BYU 25" raised over $23,000 dollars in a matter of weeks, with numerous donations coming from readers of the liberal blog, the Daily Kos.10 The alternative commencement featured consumer advocate Ralph Nader, human rights activist Jack Healey, and former U.S. Senate Candidate, Pete Ashdown. According to his website, Vogel plans to write a book about the events surrounding Vice President Cheney's visit, tentatively titled A Revolutionary Act.11 A documentary by Steven Greenstreet and Bryan Young is also currently in post-production, according to the Internet Movie Data Base (IMDb).12
Vogel has been an active supporter of Democratic senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama. In 2006, Vogel launched an online grassroots campaign called "Barack the Youth Vote" which aimed to add substance to the growing Obama youth movement.13 In September 2007, he released The Obama Movement - Why Barack Obama Speaks to America's Youth,14 a compilation of essays from young supporters of Barack Obama across the country, which was applauded by Senator Obama.15
Vogel guest blogs for The Huffington Post. 16 He is currently working on a Master of Arts at Brigham Young University.
