Dear Coalition for a Diverse Harvard members,
LONG-STANDING ETHNICITY, MIGRATION, RIGHTS PROGRAM GUTTED
This past Friday, August 14th, we learned the devastating news that the majority of staff at the Committee on Ethnicity, Migration, Rights (EMR) were impacted by University restructuring. Both EMR Program Director and Lecturer in Asian American Studies, Leslie J. Fernandez, and EMR Finance and Operations Coordinator, Fatimah Mateen, were laid off, while EMR’s Academic Programs Coordinator, Genevieve Butler, was demoted. Professor Fernandez was given two months notice and will be working until Oct 12th. As for the two staff, the status is unknown.
This is an outright attack on Ethnic Studies at the College. While Harvard's cuts are widespread, this gutting of EMR is in the context of, as the Crimson puts it, the "Fall of DEI at Harvard." EMR, with a 17 year history under various structures, is currently a standing committee in the Faculty of Arts & Sciences that offers secondary fields in interdisciplinary study of ethnicity, migration, Indigeneity, and human rights. EMR also provides thesis grants and scholarships to students and hosts academic working groups in Asian American and Pacific Islander Studies, Dissertation Writing, Latinx Studies, and Muslim American Studies. It is one of the only Ethnic Studies academic structures available at Harvard, and is a product of generations of advocacy and hard work by Harvard affiliates, students, staff, faculty, and alumni.
EMR’s Program Manager, Gerlinde Munshi, and EMR Program Director and Lecturer in Asian American Studies, Leslie J. Fernandez
We are outraged that the University would make such careless cuts to a popular and pivotal course of study at the College. It’s still unclear how the transition will work in the short-term. Leslie Fernandez is one of only two EMR course faculty for academic year 2026-27, and classes are slated to begin in two short weeks.
CDH members have provided comments to the Crimson, and CDH’s Ethnic Studies Task Force plans to meet on August 20th at 12pm ET to discuss next steps. Join the Task Force by emailing HarvardC...@gmail.com.
More Than 1,600 Alumni Petition Harvard to Rescind Restrictions on Alumni Interviewers
More than 1,600 Harvard Alumni sent President Alan Garber, Dean of Admissions William Fitzsimmons, and Director of Admissions Joy St. John a letter and signed petition to lift restrictions placed on alumni interviewers making any mention of race, national origin, religion, ethnicity, and language(s) spoken in their reports about the experiences and achievements of student applicants they interviewed in the admissions process.
Alumni interviews have been a central and meaningful place of engagement and connection across past and future generations of the Harvard community. For many alumni, the interviews have been the primary, if not sole, way they have engaged with Harvard. The interviews have been a portal for alumni and for Harvard to understand the richness and depth of student applicants and the journeys they have taken, and how they have been shaped by their identities and the communities of which they are a part.
The restrictions on the mention of race, ethnicity, national origin, language(s) spoken and religion have crippled interviewers' ability to serve effectively. Separately, there are concerns that the guidelines go far beyond what the law requires, and would be unlawful and discriminatory as implemented. Chaos and confusion have also impacted student applicants, who do not know what they can share and how they are allowed to talk about themselves and their experiences.
The letter and signed petition were sent to President Garber, Dean Fitzsimmons and Director St. John on August 2, 2026. The administration acknowledged receipt of the letter and petition stating, “We appreciate your thoughtful feedback…We are always working to ensure that our policies and practices, including the way we approach our admissions process, are in full compliance with the law. We recognize that not everyone will agree with our approach, but we will always value hearing from our community.”
Efforts to reverse the guidelines set forth in the fall of 2025 have been ongoing since the guidelines were announced, including at the Miller-Hunn Awards Ceremony in June 2026 and by this letter sent by CDH members in April 2026. Join the CDH admissions Task Force by emailing HarvardC...@gmail.com.
Support Harvard Student Workers: Sign the HGSU Alumni Open Letter
The Harvard Graduate Students Union (HGSU-UAW Local 5118) represents nearly 4,000 student workers who perform vital teaching and research across the University. After more than 15 months of protracted contract negotiations—and a historic 40-day strike—HGSU is urging the Harvard administration to bargain in good faith and settle a fair, equitable contract.
At the center of negotiations are essential protections and workplace standards: harassment & discrimination protections; immigration and non-citizen support; fair compensation; and union security.
As community members and alumni dedicated to equity at Harvard, our solidarity matters. HGSU has organized an open letter calling on leadership to reach an agreement, with signatories pledging to withhold donations until a fair contract is finalized. You can sign on to the letter here.
In solidarity,
Margaret, Kristin, Emily, Itzel, Michael, and Rashid
Margaret M. Chin, Kristin R. Penner, Emily R. Van Dyke, Itzel Vasquez-Rodriguez, Michael Williams and Rashid Yasin
Directors, Coalition for a Diverse Harvard
#RenameTheOverseers
Join our “Coalition for a Diverse Harvard” Facebook Discussion Group and like our public Facebook page.
Follow us on our defend_diversity Instagram, diverseharvard Instagram, and LinkedIn.
Forward this email to your Harvard friends and ask them to join Diverse Harvard by signing up here with a permanent email address (not a Harvard one). Members receive a couple emails per month and invitations to webinars and special events.
Donate to the Coalition at diverseharvard.org/donate. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.
NEWS
Harvard
Alumni Organize Petition Regarding Harvard College Admissions Interviews | The Harvard Crimson
“Barbara Koh ’81, a member of the Coalition [for a Diverse Harvard] who signed the petition, said alumni interviewers she has spoken with feel they must “contort their words” to comply with the new guidance.
‘These interviewers feel constrained,’ Koh said. ‘They’ve already been told you can’t mention race, ethnicity, religion, language spoken at home, national origin, immigration situation, so how do you have a conversation to fill out the written application with this human being in front of you.’ “
Federal Judge Dismisses Trump Administration Antisemitism Lawsuit Against Harvard | The Harvard Crimson
Judge Dismisses Key Claims in Harvard Antisemitism Lawsuit | The Boston Globe
“ ‘The Trump administration has the same goals of carrying out their hostility against universities,’ said [labor professor Risa] Lieberwitz. ‘They lost again because the same problems exist with the Trump administration’s actions. They’re making unsupported, unfounded contextual claims of antisemitism against universities as a way of coercing the universities to change their programs.’ …..
“Anurima Bhargava, a Harvard alum and former top civil rights lawyer in the Justice Department, said there’s no doubt that discrimination, including antisemitism, exists on college campuses. But proving a violation of federal civil rights laws involves “a very rigorous process — for a reason,” and so far the Trump administration has relied on Harvard’s own self-reporting on antisemitism on campus to make its case.”
Three Dozen of Harvard’s Peers back its court fight against the DOJ | Higher Ed Dive
In a joint amicus brief filed last week, Harvard’s peers decried the funding disruption at the institution, arguing that “wholesale termination of federal research funding at just one leading university can have devastating effects on scientific progress and the public welfare.”
Here’s Who is Backing Harvard in it Fight to Keep $2.7 billion in Federal Funding | The Harvard Crimson
Universities, alumni, government officials and civil liberties groups filed amici briefs in advance of a July 22 deadline urging the first circuit to affirm the lower court ruling. A group of 10,982 Harvard alumni decried the government’s federal funding freeze as an attack on “the very core” of the University’s mission in a brief nearly identical to one signed by 12,041 last year.
FAS Overhaul Brings Deep Cuts to Social Sciences, Phillips Brooks House | Harvard Magazine
“ Some of the changes have prompted strong pushback—particularly the decisions late last month to shutter the Dudley Community and co-op, consolidate the Harvard College Writing Center, and dismiss the center’s longtime director, Jane Rosenzweig. This week, some faculty members expressed concern over the scale of the layoffs in social sciences. Professor of government Ryan Enos said he worried about the possibility of ‘a de-emphasis on social science coming from the central administration.’’ “
Students and Alumni Voice Concern Over Phillips Brooks House Association Restructuring | The Harvard Crimson
Other Higher Education
Palestinian Americans File Discrimination Lawsuit Against Columbia | The New York Times
“Five Palestinian Americans, who include a professor, a former professor, a student and two former students at Columbia University, filed a lawsuit against the school on Monday, claiming it helped to foster a hostile and discriminatory environment on campus after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack against Israel.”
Justice Department Finds Duke Law School Discriminated Based on Race in Admissions | The Duke Chronicle
“According to the Justice Department, Duke Law School’s application featured questions like how applicants would further Duke Law’s mission. The Department stated that reviewers of applicants’ answers were then instructed to tag “specific applicant characteristics,” including placing some applicants under a “Diversity/Services” tag or flagging applicants for other demographics, such as being a Pell Grant recipient, that can correlate with race.”
Trump Wants Black People Barred From Med School | The American Prospect
“Yale wasn’t the only medical school subject to federal scrutiny: Over a dozen others are having their admissions practices probed to find any evidence of race-based affirmative action policies. Research on the benefits of DEI has shown that the policies which open doors for African Americans and other racial groups who’ve been historically excluded from colleges and universities do not lower academic standards—nor do those programs take away opportunities from “higher qualified” candidates.
Black medical students are twice as likely as their white peers to leave medical school. Discrimination, repeated microaggressions, and financial constraints are often cited as reasons. Unfortunately, these statistics have been used to support the racist trope that Black people are unequipped to practice medicine. Yet targeting admission practices, changing how student loans are repaid, and pulling funding to schools is a recipe for disaster not just for Black students and patients, but for anyone seeking care. “
Education Department Rescinds Discrimination Policy Guidance | The Hill
“The Education Department said Thursday that it is rescinding a long-standing policy allowing statistical disparities to serve as evidence of discrimination in schools during civil rights investigations. The policy, which took place immediately, eliminated guidance dating back to 1979 that permitted the agency’s Office for Civil Rights to use data showing disproportionate outcomes for students of different races when investigating alleged violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. …. In a joint statement, 60 civil rights and education organizations condemned the change, saying it “has no basis in law or morality” and accused the administration of abandoning longstanding civil rights protections.”
Jason Arday Death 'Tragedy on So Many Levels' Says PM | BBC News
“Andy Burnham has described the death of former Cambridge professor Jason Arday as ‘a tragedy on so many levels’, as he called for a ‘moment for reflection’. ….
"In a statement on Saturday, National Education Union general secretary Daniel Kebede said Arday had been subjected to ‘a public and brutal takedown that unleashed a tirade of racism’
“ ‘The effect has been chilling. It tells black people and others from underrepresented backgrounds that entering prominent public positions will make you a target,’ he said."
Other
US Firms That Kept DEI Policies Despite 'Go Woke, Go Broke' Threats Thrived | The Guardian
‘...Grumbach kept track of company policies by analyzing news coverage, pulling anti-DEI shareholder proposals and keeping track of the proposals’ votes, and using data from an activist group called DEI Watch, which maintains a tracker of companies. “No matter how we measure DEI in companies, we find the same answer,” he said: holding on to DEI promises ultimately had no impact on financial performance.
Grumbach said the implications go beyond DEI and illustrates how organizations fare after resisting authoritarian policies.“What happens when you don’t comply with that executive branch pressure in a moment of great fear in these civil society organizations?” Grumbach said. “This shows that large US corporations really do have leeway and the ability to sort of do noncompliance to executive branch pressure and end up fine.”’
Governance Without Law: The Reversal Of Progress Toward Health Equity And How To Counter It | Health Affairs
“Effective advocacy in the face of efforts to govern without law will require more than action in the courts. Investigation into the strategic design behind lawless demands will be crucial, as will public exposure of this design. So will inquiry into institutions’ responses to these demands. To what extent have clinical, research, and educational entities complied, and to what degree has compliance been driven by lawyers’ and administrators’ risk aversion? How might institutional leaders be persuaded to resist demands that are at odds with the law and their commitments to health equity, even in the face of threatened financial punishment? Further inquiry along these lines is essential.
Finally, effective resistance will require institutional leaders—and legal counsel—to take a broader view of their organizations’ goals. Organizational survival alone doesn’t meet this fraught moment. Commitments to patient well-being and populationwide health fairness are among the purposes that justify these institutions’ being. Incorporating these larger purposes into institutional leaders’ (and their lawyers’) understandings of their organizations’ interests will empower these organizations to push back against lawless demands when surrender might seem a safer path. Not only will such pushback help to sustain the US’s commitment to pursuit of health equity; it will undermine the lawless exercise of power. By setting a precedent for failure of the disingenuous governance methods we’ve spotlighted here, leaders in the health sphere can discourage future federal officials from trying them again.”
White House Defends 1882 Immigration Law Excluding Chinese Immigrants | Forbes
“The Trump administration is defending the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act against charges that the law had a racist intent. The surprising defense of the 144-year-old law appears in a White House report criticizing the Smithsonian Institution. …. The report on the Smithsonian Institution shows White House officials may be sensitive to criticism of the Chinese Exclusion Act because the Trump administration has adopted a number of similar policies. On Dec. 16, 2025, Trump issued a proclamation that barred immigration from 39 nations, primarily Asian and African countries. The administration also has stopped all refugees from entering the United States with the exception of white people from South Africa, a development few people would have predicted prior to Trump’s second term.”
