Editorial: The Canceled MLK Workshop Was Miscommunicated but Rational

A Call for Continued Conversation, Followed by A Message from the Principal

By  the 146th Executive Board

On Jan. 14, the night before the Academy’s celebration of Martin Luther King Day, students who had signed up for the workshop “Reflections on Palestinian-Black Solidarity for Liberation” were informed that the session would no longer be held. The cancellation of the workshop disappointed and distressed many Exeter students and faculty, with several students taking to Instagram under the handle @black.palestine.pea to protest what they felt was the Academy’s censorship of the community’s efforts to engage in dialogue around the ongoing devastation in the Middle East. However, it appears that rather than the Academy demonstrating “its lack of care for the multitude of students who found a space such as this workshop safe for their academic and curricular growth,” as interpreted by students, the cancellation of the workshop was a miscommunicated administrative effort to carry out a conversation about the Israel-Palestine conflict at a later time with more adequate support.

Organized by Instructor in English Mercy Carbonell and Instructor in History Khalid Madhi, the workshop was first introduced to the community in a list of MLK day programming options sent by Director of Equity and Inclusion Stephanie S. Bramlett on Jan. 8. The description reads as follows:

Reflections on Palestinian-Black Solidarity for Liberation 

This workshop explores how systems of oppression and exploitation operate concurrently and how anti-oppressive struggles are, too, connected. We will investigate meaningful acts of resistance, listen and learn from one another, and discuss how movements work together to build bridges to walk in solidarity with marginalized communities at both the global and local levels. This workshop will focus on what Angela Y. Davis means by Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement. 

What is solidarity? What is our responsibility to bear witness? In what ways might historical and current Black Palestinian solidarity connect with social justice issues the participants know and care about? We will invite participants to explore some of the roots of Black Palestinian solidarity and to imagine and to reflect on the various methods of resistance within and across our communities.

Carbonell and Madhi shared that the workshop was designed based on academic materials and historical evidence. “We designed the Workshop for MLK Day 2024’s ‘Black Pain and Black Joy in Resistance’ to address students’ needs for a space to reflect on the various expressions of solidarity between Black-Americans and Palestinians,” they explained. “Our approach drew on classes already being taught in History, in English - e.g. US History, Race: a Global History, English 320 Race in Literature, Modern Africa, The Art of Protest, Harlem Renaissance, Toni Morrison, among others.”

According to Carbonell, Madhi, and the students running the Instagram account, the cancellation of the workshop defied the core values with which the day celebrating King was founded. “The disappointment with the cancellation, the timing and the rationale is widespread,” observed Carbonell and Madhi. “It is based on the disconnect with MLK Day’s historical emphasis ‘on a day in which the entire community gathers to honor and celebrate the legacy of Dr. King to consider the ways his legacy has endured and how the work he and others began must continue in new and essential ways,’ and the structural design of workshops to ‘...offer a range of perspectives and work, along with a range of pedagogical styles…With each workshop, our hope is that our leaders create the possibility for our students to learn, unlearn, and find ways that they can play an active role in the essential changing of our society.’”

The student response to the abrupt cancellation is understandable. It is certainly frustrating that the administration made the decision to cancel the workshop so abruptly and without offering an explanation or public statement to the community. We hope that in the future, there is more transparency offered to the broader community if such a significant decision is being made, and that the students and faculty can engage in collective, thoughtful conversation around important topics. 

However, it is also understandable that the administration made the decision to exercise caution around these types of conversations. In light of the recent presidential upheavals at major universities and harmful actions and rhetoric on both sides of the conflict, the Academy’s responsibility to keep Exeter a welcome learning environment for all is more important than ever. In spite of the @black.palestine.pea post suggesting that “the institutional silence and suppression of conversation are perpetuating the emotional toll our students are experiencing from processing global events,” the school has encouraged discussion of the conflict in the Middle East. 

For example, Oct. 10, Principal Bill Rawson sent the community a message encouraging “adults to accommodate the stresses students may be facing, while noting that we should take our cues from the students and others on whether they wish to engage regarding these events.” On Oct. 18, several faculty members, including Carbonell and Madhi, held a session for both those who “are in deep pain and are seeking emotional/spiritual support” as well as those who “wish for a space to ask questions out of a genuine desire to understand historical contexts and nuances.” This event focused on the collective destruction in the Middle East rather than either side of the conflict, serving as a beneficial, neutral conversation for those in need of support. As the conflict persists, however, continued active communication has not. The Academy should have continued and regular inclusive discussions across the community.

As we conclude with a statement that Principal Rawson has requested be shared with the community, we hold the administration to their promise to have these important conversations with students in a way that is equitable and constructive for all.

[To read lower Truman Yee’s perspective on the effects of the cancellation on the Exeter community, flip to page 13.]

A Message from Principal Bill Rawson:

The workshop was cancelled to provide time to gather additional input and perspective around how to structure and offer opportunities for important conversations in our community on these and related subjects. We know that many students and teachers were disappointed, and that many students want to have opportunities to learn and discuss important topics related to the war in Gaza and the longstanding conflicts in the Middle East. To that end, we will work with faculty, student advisers, and student leaders to create appropriate opportunities for such engagement on campus, meeting students where they are, and understanding that the needs of students will vary. These conversations have begun.

The devastation and destruction in Gaza and suffering and death of Palestinian people is deeply distressing to witness, as was and is the violence, death and suffering that occurred on October 7 and the suffering of Israeli hostages and their families that continues today. As I said in my statement on October 10, we are all affected by these events, and many in our community with ties to the region bear a particularly heavy burden. I said further that we must hope or pray for peace in the Middle East, and work to create a world where in all regions the dignity and equal worth of every human life is understood and respected by all. 

Our mission and values guide us in this work as in all other work that we do as a school and community. Our vision for diversity, equity and inclusion at Exeter is inseparable from our vision for learning, and it calls upon all of us to strive to learn with and from each other as best we can. We seek to cultivate the empathy, understanding, and respect necessary to be open to thoughts, perspectives and experiences that differ from our own — to be able to hear and learn from stories that differ from our own. This is difficult work under present circumstances, and we will take our cues from students concerning whether and how they would like to engage. We also will continue to provide support and resources in the many ways described in Rev. Bonnie-Jeanne Casey’s email of October 22, in which she urged us all to “focus on empathy, on holding space for our common humanity, and on embracing each other’s goodwill during this time of unimaginable fear and sadness.”

We reject antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of anti-Palestinian, anti-Israeli, and anti-Arab hate, discrimination, or violence, as well as any other forms of identity-based hate, discrimination or violence.

Editorial: Claudine Gay’s Resignation Affects Us All

Gay, Magill, and Kornbluth give testimony to Congress, Dec. 5, 2023 Courtesy of Puck News

By the 146th Board

“When my brief presidency is remembered, I hope it will be seen as a moment of reawakening to the importance of striving to find our common humanity — and of not allowing rancor and vituperation to undermine the vital process of education. I trust we will all find ways, in this time of intense challenge and controversy, to recommit ourselves to the excellence, the openness, and the independence that are crucial to what our university stands for — and to our capacity to serve the world.”

Dr. Claudine Gay’s resignation from her tenure as president of Harvard University followed months of public scrutiny around Harvard’s tolerance of political protests on campus, Gay’s statements during the Congressional hearings about free speech, and allegations of plagiarism in her academic work. What is discussed far less is the dedication that Gay held to her alma mater and to upholding her values of equal opportunity and intellectual curiosity.

An alumna of the class of 1988 and former trustee of Exeter (2017-2023), Gay’s deep connection to the Academy and its values is undeniable. “It was a privilege to serve with Dr. Gay as trustees at Exeter,” said President of the Board of Trustees, Morgan Sze. “During her six years she made important contributions in many areas, including serving on our new mission statement task force and co-chairing our principal search. Her prioritization of her time for Exeter amidst her busy schedule showed how much Exeter means to her. We are fortunate to have trustees from diverse backgrounds serving the Academy who, like Dr. Gay, all generously share a dedication to non sibi service.”

Principal Bill Rawson, well acquainted with Gay from her time as a trustee, commented, “Not surprisingly, I was saddened to see her tenure end in the way it did. Dr.Gay made important contributions as a trustee and was a strong and thoughtful presence at the trustee table.”

Gay stepped down as a trustee of the Academy in June in anticipation of her inauguration to Harvard’s presidency on Sep. 29, 2023. At the time, she was celebrated for making history as the second woman and first person of color to serve as the university’s president. “Our stories — and the stories of the many trailblazers between us — are linked by this institution’s long history of exclusion and the long journey of resistance and resilience to overcome it,” Gay said in her inauguration speech. “And because of the collective courage of all those who dared to createadifferentfuture, I stand before you on this stage able to say, ‘I am Claudine Gay, the president of Harvard University.’”

A week after she assumed the role, Hamas launched the devastating Oct. 7 attack on Israeli communities along the nation’s southern border with Gaza. International attention turned to the decades-long conflict between Israel and Palestine, inciting dual outrage at the massacre of Israeli civilians and the long- term plight of the Palestinian civilians. Enraged and frequently misinformed university students across America took to protesting, both in person and over social media, as advocates of both “sides” of the conflict.

But the protests turned violent. Students were heard intolerably calling for the genocide of the Israeli people, while others blatantly denied that Palestinians were victims of human rights violations. Three major university presidents — Dr. Sally Kornbluth of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dr. Liz Magill of the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Claudine Gay of Harvard University — were called to testify before Congress on Dec. 5 about emerging antisemitism on their campuses. The crux arrived when they were each asked by Representative Elise Stefanik, in turn, “At [your institution], does calling for the genocide of Jews violate the rules of bullying and harassment?” to which they each replied that “it can, depending on the context.” These controversial statements, likely made upon shared legal advice, garnered significant criticism, and many called for the three presidents’ resignation. At this stage, Magill resigned from her post, but Kornbluth and Gay received votes of confidence from their respective boards.

Gay’s presidency, which was already placed under unprecedented levels of scrutiny given her race and gender, fell even more directly into the spotlight following the hearings. Questions about her publication record and allegations of academic plagiarism surfaced, and after issuing a series of corrections for inadequate citations and additional allegations surfaced, Gay made the decision to step down from her role. In her farewell message to the Harvard community, later published by The New York Times, Gay clarified, “after consultation with members of the Corporation, it has become clear that it is in the best interests of Harvard for me to resign so that our community can navigate this moment of extraordinary challenge with a focus on the institution rather than any individual.”

With this, Gay encapsulated the core of the issue with the accusations, social media, and the nation’s discourse: they are focusing on the wrong things. How did a devastating terrorist attack halfway across the world cause the resignation of two Ivy League women presidents and cast doubt on the tenets of free speech and diversity, equity, and inclusion? Why is it that, at any point, there was more news coverage of this domestic dispute than the very real, terrifying war and casualties occuring in the Middle East? Is it a coincidence that all three of the presidents called before Congress were women? And further — will the removal of Magill and now Gay truly reshape or improve their universities?

Is the fervor and controversy surrounding Gay’s presidency merely a proxy battle for a greater culture war?

These questions yield no easy, nor certain, answers.

What is certain, Rawson promised, is that Exeter will strive to remain true to its core values of freedom of speech, knowledge and goodness, academic excellence, youth from every quarter, and non sibi in the face of external pressures.

“I speak about the importance of free speech to our school mission at every Opening Assembly,” Rawson said. “Our core value of academic excellence recognizes the importance of rigorous inquiry and thoughtful discourse to our pursuit of complex truths. Our commitment to free speech also is embedded in our Vision Statement for DEI, which calls upon all of us to be open to ideas and perspectives that might differ from our own, and to engage across differences, including differences in political beliefs.”

Rawson continued, “Toward that end, I have said we must learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and we should expect a diversity of viewpoints on almost every subject worth exploring. To realize fully the promise of our richly diverse community and make the most of the opportunities to learn with and from each other, we seek always to create a learning environment where all members of the community have a strong sense of belonging and all voices are heard.”

We, at Exeter, must now come together as a community to define concepts like “freedom of speech” and determine what lines should not be crossed. This will take time — we might not get it right all at once or all of the time, but we must be willing to engage in the difficult dialogue and journey to get there.