LET'S BUILD ON THE INSPIRING
#DEFENDDIVERSITY RALLY
Click here for video of the rally
And here for the Media Advisory.
For a full list of last week's activities on campus, go to
the Week of Action Page.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14: National Civil Rights Leaders, Community Leaders, Students and Allies Host Harvard Square Rally to Defend Campus Diversity
WHAT
Community and national civil rights organizations are uniting with more than 30 Harvard student, alumni and staff groups to hold a #DefendDiversity rally in Harvard Square to show their support for diversity on campus. The rally is on the eve of trial in a lawsuit that seeks to eliminate race in Harvard’s admissions process and threatens diversity at the college.
WHY
Students for Fair Admissions, an organization purporting to represent Asian-American college applicants but headed by conservative activist Edward Blum, filed a lawsuit seeking to eliminate the consideration of race in admissions, thereby threatening diversity at the college. Allied civil rights organizations across the country, in conjunction with dozens of Harvard student, alumni and staff groups, organized this rally to amplify their condemnation of this divisive lawsuit and its attempt to pit historically marginalized groups against each other.
WHEN
11 a.m. Sunday, October 14
WHERE
Harvard Square.
(Press check-in at the Visitor's Information Center kiosk outside the Red Line T Station in the middle of Harvard Square)
WHO
Join members of Coalition for a Diverse Harvard, First Generation Harvard Alumni, Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance, Harvard Black Alumni Society, Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance, Harvard University Muslim Alumni, Native American Alumni of Harvard University and a broad coalition of students, community allies and national civil-rights organizations to support inclusive, race-conscious policies in schools and workplaces that create diversity, address inequities and recognize each of us for the richness of our backgrounds and experiences.
SPEAKERS
Jessica Tang, President, Boston Teachers Union, and Harvard alumna
Todne Thomas, Assistant Professor of African American Religions, Harvard Divinity School
Doris Reina-Landaverde, Harvard Temporary Protected Status Coalition, member of 32BJ SEIU
Thang Diep, Harvard College Senior
Gregory Davis, Harvard Doctoral Student
Wayne Yeh, Civic Action Organizer, Chinese Progressive Association
PERFORMERS
James Mathew & Olivia Owens, Harvard sophomores[JP1] , 21 Colorful Crimson
PARTICIPANTS (list in formation):
Asian American Resource Workshop
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Chicago
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Orange County
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus
Asian Pacific Islander Civic Action Network-APIs CAN
21 Colorful Crimson
Association of Black Harvard Women
Chief Stewards of Local 26 at Harvard
Civil and Human Rights Committee of HGSU-UAW
Coalition for a Diverse Harvard
First Generation Harvard Alumni
Fuerza Latina of Harvard
Harvard African Law Association
Harvard Asian American Alumni Alliance
Harvard Asian American Brotherhood
Harvard Asian Pacific American Law Students Association
Harvard Black Alumni Society
Harvard Islamic Society
Harvard Japan Society
Harvard Kennedy School AAPI Caucus
Harvard Korean Association
Harvard Latino Alumni Alliance
Harvard Latinx Student Alliance
Harvard Law School Lambda
Harvard Law School Pipeline Parity Project
Harvard Minority Association of Pre-medical Students
Harvard Native American Law Student Association
Harvard Phillips Brooks House Association
Harvard South Asian Association
Harvard South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA)
Harvard University Muslim Alumni
Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Association
Harvard-Radcliffe Asian American Women’s Association
Harvard-Radcliffe Black Student Association
Harvard-Radcliffe Chinese Students Association
Harvard Temporary Protected Status Coalition
Harvard Vietnamese Association
Kuumba Singers of Harvard College
Native American Alumni of Harvard University
Native Americans at Harvard College
Pan-Asian Coalition for Education at HGSE
Task Force on Asian and Pacific American Studies at Harva