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Dr. Claudine Gay, a widely esteemed scholar, made history as the first Black President of Harvard in the university’s 387 years. Many saw her tenure as a step forward for diversity in higher education, but today, her resignation speaks volumes about the challenges Black women face in academia. Gay faced fierce backlash this winter over the school’s statements on the Israel-Hamas War. A politically-motivated grilling in Congress followed by an organized campaign to attack Gay’s credibility and intellect, led to her resignation on January 2. What does this all mean for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in education? In this timely installment of “Meet the BIPOC Press,” our monthly collaboration with URL Media, a network of independent media owned and operated by people of color, Laura is joined by co-host Amir Khafagy, labor and immigration reporter for Documented, which is a member of the URL Media network. We unpack the crusade against Gay, DEI and the lack of support that students and faculty of color, and especially women of color, receive from their universities. Also joining us are Zaire Dinzey-Flores, Professor and Chair of Latino and Caribbean Studies at Rutgers University, and Jamiee Swift, the Founder and Executive Director of Black Women Radicals. Tune in to hear what the media got right — and wrong — about this story.
“Academia is not an inclusive space. Academia is a hard place for many people, and we have to decide if we want institutions that are diverse and inclusive of multiple viewpoints . . . We belong and we contribute.” – Zaire Dinzey-Flores
“There’s a new age of McCarthyism taking place not only in academic spaces, but also media spaces. We’re seeing reporters losing their jobs or being forced to resign if they have a pro-Palestinian stance. In academia, we’re seeing regulations on campuses that say that you have to support Israel, almost like in the McCarthy era where you had to denounce communism in order to get a job.” – Amir Khafagy
“If the university is supposed to be the marketplace of ideas, why are Black people and people of color’s ideas, advocacy and activism always targeted, surveilled and pushed out?” – Jamiee Swift
Guests
- Zaire Dinzey-Flores: Associate Professor & Chair of Latino and Caribbean Studies, Rutgers University
- Amir Khafagy (Co-host): Journalist, Report for America Member, Documented
- Jaimee Swift: Founder, Black Women Radicals; Professor of Black Politics
Portions of this interview are featured in our episode, “Not Wanted at Harvard? BIPOC Media on Claudine Gay, Anti-Zionism & Diversity in Education“.
