The Democratize Yale teach-in was fantastic, with 250 students, alumni, & faculty rallying to protest Yale President McInnis's attempts to cut a "deal" with Trump. Huge congrats to the student organizers, @aaupyale.org, and the Stand Up for Yale alumni group - and Sam Waterston! 🧵 of photos for ya!
Democratize Yale! Join students, faculty, alumni, and community members for a teach-in on academic freedom, shared governance, free expression, and Yale’s autonomy from unlawful federal coercion. 📍 Yale Cross Campus 🗓 TOMORROW: Sept. 1 🕜 1:30 PM #AcademicFreedom #DemocracyAtYale #YaleIsNotForSale
Yale Student Body President Alex Chen is a hell of an organizer. Last school year, he was part of the Yale College Council's push to fund support for summer storage for low-income students after Dean Pericles Lewis told students they should "acquire less." yaledailynews.com
Professor Daniel Martinez HoSang, @aaupyale.org president, speaks at the teach-in about the Yale admin not meeting with faculty while restricting freedom of speech. '“You can’t be lecturing us about democracy and refuse to even take meetings with faculty,” HoSang said.' ctmirror.org
While the Democratize Yale teach-in was describing Yale's new rules against free speech on Cross Campus, Yale Dean Pericles Lewis and Professor Beverly Gage were lecturing first year students at a required event called "The University and Democracy." Whew. yaledailynews.com
Meanwhile, students and alumni handed out "Welcome to Yale / A University Without Democracy" zines outside of Woolsey Hall to make sure students going to hear Dean Lewis's presentation on "The University and Democracy" learned about the other side.
Go to democratizeyale.org to see how the Yale admin is failing by pursuing a "deal" with Trump and by curbing freedom of speech, refusing to codify academic freedom, and continuing decades of undemocratic governance.
Yale alum and National Book Award winner Susan Choi spoke about a professor leading a reading of SATANIC VERSES when she was an undergrad - and how that idealized version of a Yale community that was brave enough to SPEAK UP stayed with her - and is currently being betrayed by the current admin.
My old classmate and current Yale Drama School professor Katherine Profeta! Doing class of 1990 proud. Hugely impressed with current professors and staff who are speaking up.
Badass student leaders looking badass. democratizeyale.org, y'all.
Sam Waterston was thrilled to be there - clapping for all the speakers.
Sam Waterston working on his remarks at the side of the rally. ❤️
The great @gregggonsalves.bsky.social speaks at the democratizeyale.org rally!
@gregggonsalves.bsky.social, Katherine Profeta, and Susan Choi are all part of Stand Up for Yale, a group of alums defending academic freedom at Yale and pushing President McInnes not to fold to Trump. Find out more and join the group here! standupforyale.org!
www.standupforyale.org
Also, if you're in any way associated with Yale, please sign the Stand Up for Yale petition telling McInnis not to cave to Trump! actionnetwork.org
actionnetwork.org
Yale student Isa Matos spoke about the undemocratic nature of the Yale Corporation - which runs the university. 10 of the 17 members of the Yale Corporation are "successor trustees" - which means THEY NOMINATE THEIR OWN SUCCESSORS. Ridiculous.
Professor Roderick Ferguson spoke about the history of academic freedom - and how Yale is failing.
Marah Rigaud and Birikti Kahsai, the current and former presidents of the Black Student Alliance at Yale spoke about Yale's disgusting attempt to cut a "deal" with Trump to head off the DOJ's baseless attacks on the the university's admission of Black and Latine students.
Students cheer! democratizeyale.org!
Yale student Sophia Stone said the new Yale "freedom of speech" were used to prevent her group from speaking out about harms to the agricultural workers harvesting food for Yale's dining halls. "If this is not the kind of speech that belongs at the center of a university, then what is?"
By the way, you can watch the entire Democratize Yale teach-in here! Highly recommended! youtube.com
www.youtube.com
* freedom of speech *rules* of course Professor Alicia Schmidt Camacho pulled no punches, describing the segregation of higher education in the past as "apartheid" and saying that's what the Trump regime is trying to bring back. That's what President McInnis is trying to cut a deal with.
Yale grad Sam Waterston spoke last. He lavished praise on all the other speakers, saying "You've got this." The big message he wanted to impart: "Never give in to a bully."
One of my photos in the WSHU writeup of the Democratize Yale teach-in! wshu.org
www.wshu.org