On Feb. 18, the prestigious Wasatch Speaker Series is sponsoring John Kelly. When he was announced as a speaker, he was known for his role as Donald Trump’s chief of staff. Not any longer.
After patrons had paid for their tickets in early April, his appointment to the board of Caliburn International was announced in early May. Caliburn operates the largest detention center for unaccompanied minor children. Their center has been compared to a prison camp by those who have visited.
Many of us never imagined we would live in a United States that caged children, children that have been forcibly separated from their parents. This is a morally reprehensible act especially after the shame of Japanese internment.
Not only is Kelly on the board of Caliburn, he was previously employed by them. None of the other well-respected speakers has a questionable background like this. Not Madeline Albright, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, Jane Goodall, Gen. Martin Dempsey, astronaut Capt. Scott Kelly and the 15 other speakers.
Are we sanctioning what John Kelly now stands for by allowing him to appear at Abravanel Hall as a Wasatch speaker?
Beverley Cooper, Salt Lake City