Black Scholars React To Harvard President Claudine Gay Resignation

Jessica Washington

January 3, 2024 at 10:43 AM·5 min read

Oops!
Something went wrong.
Please try again later.

Cambridge, MA - December 15: Claudine Gay speaks to the crowd after being named Harvard Universitys next president. Harvard University on Thursday named Gay as its next president in a historic move that will give the nations oldest college its first Black leader.

Former Harvard President Claudine Gay, the first Black person to lead the prestigious university, resigned on Tuesday amid allegations of plagiarism. Gay came under fire in early December after a hearing on antisemitism pushed her into the crosshairs of conservative media and commentators — who called her an unqualified diversity hire.

Black scholars immediately began using social media to share their thoughts about Gay’s firing. Here’s what they had to say.

The first person we should probably here from on the subject is Claudine Gay herself.

What Claudine Gay Had To Say

Boston, MA - October 31: The Harvard Allston Land Co. and Tishman Speyer hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase of the future Harvard Enterprise Research Campus. The project will include 900,000 square feet of space, including labs, 343 apartments, a 246-room hotel, street level shops and restaurants, and more than two acres of community-oriented public outdoor space. Claudine Gay, President of Harvard University spoke at event.

“It is with a heavy heart but a deep love for Harvard that I write to share that I will be stepping down as President,” wrote Gay. “This is not a decision I came to easily. Indeed, it has been difficult beyond words because I have looked forward to working with as many of you to advance the commitment to academic excellence that has propelled this great university across centuries.”

Nikole Hannah Jones

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 30: Nikole Hannah-Jones attends the “Origin” New York premiere at Alice Tully Hall on November 30, 2023 in New York City.

Nikole Hannah Jones, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist 1619 and founder of the Inaugural Knight Chair in Journalism and Race at Howard University, had plenty to say about Gay’s resignation. Jones

What Nikole Hannah Jones Had To Say

TLANTA, GEORGIA - JUNE 09: Nikole Hannah-Jones speaks onstage during the Alight Align Arise: Advancing the Movement for Repair National Conference at Thompson Buckhead on June 09, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.

“Let’s be real,” wrote Jones in a post. “This is an extension of what happened to me at UNC, and it is a glimpse into the future to come. Academic freedom is under attack. Racial justice programs are under attack. Black women will be made to pay. Our so-called allies too often lack any real courage.”

Ibram X. Kendi

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 26: Dr. Ibram X. Kendi attends Netflix’s “Stamped from the Beginning” AFI Festival screening at TCL Chinese Theatre on October 26, 2023 in Hollywood, California.

Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be An Antiracist and Director of Antiracist research at Boston University, knows a thing or two about controversy. Kendi quickly jumped into the fray to defend Gay.

What Ibram X. Kendi Had To Say

TORONTO, ONTARIO - SEPTEMBER 09: Dr. Ibram X. Kendi speaks onstage during Netflix’s “Stamped From The Beginning” world premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival at TIFF Bell Lightbox on September 09, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario.

“Racist mobs won’t stop until they topple all Black people from positions of power and influence who are not reinforcing the structure of racism,” he wrote on X. “What these racist mobs are doing should be obvious to any reporter who cares about truth or justice as opposed to conflicts and clicks.”

Marc Lamont Hill

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Marc Lamont Hill attends 2023 A3C Conference day 1 on September 29, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.

CUNY Professor and activist Marc Lamont Hill has faced his share of media backlash, particularly for his comments on Israel and Palestine. So his decision to weigh into Claudine Gay’s resignation didn’t come as much of a surprise.

What Marc Lamont Hill Had To Say

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - SEPTEMBER 29: Angela Rye and Marc Lamant Hill speak during 2023 A3C Conference day 1 on September 29, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia.

“The next president of Harvard University MUST be a Black woman,” wrote Hill on X.

Dr. Uché Blackstock

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 05: Dr. Uche Blackstock attends The Root 100 2023 at The Apollo Theater on December 05, 2023 in New York City.

Dr. Uché Blackstock, Founder and CEO of Advancing Health Equity and a former Associate Professor at NYU Langone Health, is known for speaking out on issues of racial equity. So it’s not surprise that she was incredibly vocal after the resignation of Claudine Gay.

What Dr. Uché Blackstock Had To Say

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JULY 01: Dr. Uché Blackstock speaks onstage during the 2022 Essence Festival of Culture at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on July 1, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“We literally have to jump through hoops to make it into leadership positions at these PWIs, more often than not without the (generational) connections or resources, of our white peers,” she wrote. Then, we’re the ones who have our abilities questioned, when it should be the other way around.

Blackstock also went on to share her story on why Black doctors are leaving faculty positions in academia.

Professor Hakeem Jefferson

Professor Hakeem Jefferson leads the inaugural Program on Identity, Democracy, and Justice at Stanford Law School. Professor Jefferson swiftly weighed-in on Gay being pushed out.

What Hakeem Jefferson Had To Say

Photo: Hakeem Jefferson on X (Formerly Known As Twitter)

“These folks are on a mission & they are persistent,” he wrote on X. “And they will have many more “victories” as they set out to remake American education in their image. This has been going on for a while and we still are just at the beginning. But, yeah, the woke undergrads are the problem...”

Professor Jonathan Collins

Professor Jonathan E. Collins

Columbia University Assistant Professor Jonathan Collins also waded into the controversy over Claudine Gay’s firing.

What Professor Jonathan Collins Had To Say

Photo: Jonathan E. Collins on X (Formerly Known as Twitter)

“Obviously a terrible outcome,” wrote Professor Collins. “This was nothing short of a witch hunt. I just hope President Gay feels a burden lifted from her shoulders. Being unfairly targeted hurts, but nothing can ever change the fact that she made history.”

New on Yahoo