On January 9th, this year Claudine Gay—the President of Harvard University—was finally forced to resign her position following testimony she gave to a Congressional Committee and due to charges of plagiarism.
Gay’s finale pretty much concluded on December 5, 2023, during a Congressional hearing when she was asked by far-right ideologue Rep. Elise Stefanik (R) if she believed that Harvard students’ protests against Israel (some of whom called for the genocide of Jews in response to Israel’s devastating counteroffensive against Hamas in Gaza) was a violation of Harvard’s policies against bullying and harassment. Although Rep. Stefanik expected an unambiguous “yes” presumably so she could follow up with a got’cha response to her answer, Gay responded, “It can be, depending on the context.” And although the response riled her audience, it certainly wasn’t grounds for costing her the presidency. Dr. Gay later apologized: “I am sorry. Words matter… When words amplify distress and pain, I don’t know how you could feel anything but regret.”
The second charge, which fanned the flames of her Congressional testimony, was that Dr. Gay had committed plagiarism.
Her antagonist, Christopher F. Rufo, a conservative activist and vociferous critic of Critical Race Theory (CRT), claimed that Dr. Gay benefitted from liberal hiring policies which he says rewards Blacks based solely on their race, not their academic achievements or merit. “Today, we celebrate victory. Tomorrow, we get back to the fight,” Rufo posted on X, formerly Twitter. Then he proclaimed, “My primary objective is to eliminate the DEI bureaucracy in every institution in America and to restore truth rather than racialist ideology as the guiding principle of America.”
Rufo’s declaration preceded additional pressure from billionaire Bill Ackman, who called for Gay’s resignation and new leadership at Harvard. So, following months of scrutiny, Dr. Gay ultimately vacated her unprecedented position as Harvard University’s first Black president.
The Consequences of Gay’s Downfall
Claudine Gay should not be regarded as the poster child for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) opponents’ false narrative that minorities are hired exclusively because of their race. This misinterpretation presupposes that hiring firms are careless in finding the most qualified person for employment and, instead, use a quick fix to fulfill workplace diversity and inclusion quotas so that companies can benefit from government perks, handouts, or incentives set aside for these programs.
Who will give Black people an opportunity if the leaders of corporations have preconceived stereotypes of them having low IQs as Elon Musk has recently cosigned in his tweet on X?
In order to prevent Blacks from being sabotaged by the most popular stereotype of Blacks being Inherently Intellectually Inferior, these programs are in place to prohibit qualified Black candidates, like Cornel R. West, Creola Katherine Johnson, Carol M. Swain and Laurnetta Sanks from being overlooked for employment and promotions. To counter the Conservative Right Wing’s idea that DEI is a race-based initiative, hiring firms need to stop hiring subpar Black employees: that way DEI will not come across as a racially preferential program.
Academic Sacrificial Lamb — or DEI Sellout?
Gay is merely a sacrificial lamb used as an attempt to justify the opposition of preferential racial treatment and favoritism – in particular, those involving Black people – in order to justify opposing DEI at academic institutions.
Instead, the focus should be on questioning Harvard’s failure to perform due diligence during the time their HR department was appraising Gay’s qualifications. Was it Harvard’s hope that Gay’s qualifications would never be questioned because of her elite education and exalted position?
Gay received an unmerited promotion. In fact, Gay’s Ph.D. dissertation and other of her scholarly publications appears to have featured specific, identifiable plagiarism issues, according to reports. Her doctoral advisor and the Harvard Committee should have disqualified her for these breaches of academic conduct and, in doing so, also should have opposed her promotion to President.
Claudine Gay should never have accepted Harvard’s presidency because she knew her body of work was purloined and unethical
In sharp contrast, Cornel R. West—a prominent Black intellectual, progressive activist, published author, and independent presidential candidate for 2024—was denied tenure at Harvard simply because he didn’t meet the University’s Tenue (bearing, carriage, deportment) requirements. What a travesty!
Failing to adequately vet Claudine Gay delivered her eventually into the handa of right-wing ideologues.
They used her story both as a symbol and as a practical method to help abolish DEI and affirmative action policies and practices, which they claim are improperly used for the advancement of Black people based solely on race.
But although Gay lost the presidency, she held onto her roughly $900K salary; therefore, it is a winning strategy for all involved – Gay herself and opponents of DEI – one in which all parties involved profited from the outcome.
“Smoke and Mirrors” technique
Like Dr. Ben Carson, Dr. Gay concentrated on hobnobbing with the predominately white Harvard elite and enjoying her uncontested upward mobility, even as her own camp appears to have orchestrated her downfall to dismantle the DEI initiatives for Harvard spearheaded by Dr. Gay.
Is Claudine Gay Dick Gregory's Dr. Ben Carson?
Gay could be viewed, unkindly, simply as a sellout, benefitting from her so-called “ouster” due to race consideration over praiseworthy qualities substantiated the right-wing ideology.
Another instrumental point to Rufo’s well-orchestrated plan: Claudine Gay’s unchallenged climb to success was her own undoing, which supported Rufo’s New Civil Rights Agenda.
