• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Harvard Black Law Students Association

Build, Lead, Serve and Advocate.

  • About Us
    • History
    • Executive Board
    • Committees
    • Harvard BLSA Advisors
  • Members
    • Members-Only Area
  • Alumni
    • Alumni Only Portal
  • Sponsors
  • Recent News
  • Conference
  • Prospective Students
  • About Us
    • History
    • Executive Board
    • Committees
    • Harvard BLSA Advisors
  • Members
    • Members-Only Area
  • Alumni
    • Alumni Only Portal
  • Sponsors
  • Recent News
  • Conference
  • Prospective Students

Harvard’s Black Law Student Association’s Letter to the Administration Regarding Dr. Cornel West

February 23, 2021 //  by HBLSA ADMIN

Dear President Bacow, Provost Garber, Deans Gay, and Bobo,

Harvard Law School’s Black Law Students Association (HBLSA) and the undersigned signatories are writing to condemn the University’s decision to refuse to consider Dr. Cornel West for tenure. 

There is no doubt that Dr. West is more than qualified to receive tenure. Dr. West is a preeminent scholar–described by his peers as “sui generis”–that has consistently tackled the complex issues of race in America. He is a Professor Emeritus at Princeton University and has taught at Union Theological Seminary, Yale, Harvard, and the University of Paris. Prior to leaving Harvard in 2002, Dr. West was a University Professor, Harvard’s highest faculty honor, and the demand for his course was only exceeded by one other course. Dr. West, who is routinely cited, has written 20 books–including the seminal Race Matters– edited 13 and has published a substantial amount of academic articles. The decision not to consider Dr. West for tenure is inexplicable and inconsistent with the University’s expectation as expressed by Dean Bobo that “the expectation is that [Dr. West] will be with [Harvard] for a very long time.” The University’s actions are not only incompatible but do a disservice to all current and future students of the University.

We are deeply concerned by the University’s characterization of Dr. West as “too risky” and “too controversial.” These statements contravene the principle of academic freedom that undergirds the University. As the President said in the first address of the spring semester to the  Faculty of Arts and Sciences  “We pursue [Harvard’s] mission on the foundation of a set of values, chief among them free speech and academic freedom.” This characterization of Dr. West is not only inaccurate but also falls short of the values and standards established and reiterated time and time again by the University. We call upon the University to hold itself accountable and to follow its own model of academic freedom.

Harvard’s refusal to consider Dr. West for tenure continues a consistent pattern of practice that undermines and devalues the scholarship of Black professors and professors of color. Our call today for the University to revisit its decision is part of a longstanding tradition of HBLSA,  Black academics, and academics of color calling upon the University to recognize and value diverse scholarship. In 1992 Derrick Bell, the preeminent scholar on critical race theory and the first Black man to receive tenure at Harvard Law School (“HLS”),  left HLS in protest of its refusal to hire a Black woman and the lack of diversity within the faculty. For seven years, the university denied the Latino Law Review the right to use the Harvard name. In 2019, the University refused to grant tenure to Professor Lorgia García Peña, a decision that undermined cross-organizational efforts on campus for an Ethnic Studies program. In addition, more than 100 faculty members called for a comprehensive review of the tenure process to ensure better alignment with the University’s espoused commitments to diversity and inclusion. The refusal to consider Dr. West for tenure raises concerns about the future treatment of Black academics and academics of color in a tenure process that already lacks transparency. The University espouses a commitment to academic freedom and diversity and inclusion, but its actions continue to undermine diverse scholarship.

Dr. Cornel West’s research, publication record, and teaching are exemplary. We are not only disappointed in the refusal to even consider Dr. West for tenure but also are concerned that this denial indicates a lack of commitment to pursuing diversity, inclusivity, and social justice by the University.

The Harvard Black Law Students Association

La Alianza at Harvard Law School

Harvard Law School Lambda

Harvard Law School MELSA

Harvard Muslim Law Students Association

Harvard Law School Chapter of the American Constitution Society

Harvard African Law Association

Harvard Descendants

Harvard Law School Disability Law Students Association

Harvard Asian Pacific American Law Students Association

Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review

Harvard Journal of Sports and Entertainment Law

Harvard Journal of Law and Gender

Harvard Law School Labor and Employment Action Project

Tenant Advocacy Project

First Class at Harvard Law School

Harvard Women’s Law Association

Harvard Legal Aid Bureau

Harvard Human Rights Journal

Harvard South Asian Law Students Association

+127 Students

 

A full copy of the letter can be found here.

Category: Statement

Previous Post: « Harvard’s Black Law Student Association’s Letter to the Administration Regarding Black Lives
Next Post: Harvard Black Law Students Association’s Statement on Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson »

Primary Sidebar

Contact Us!

HBLSApresident@gmail.com

Prospective Students: HBLSAmembershipengagement@gmail.com

Hours & Info

Hastings Hall Basement
1541 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge , MA 02138



Footer

Contact BLSA

Email us
HBLSAPresident@gmail.com

Prospective Students
HBLSAmembershipengagement@gmail.com

Address
Hastings Hall Basement 1541 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138

The Harvard Law School name and/or shield are trademarks of the President and Fellows of Harvard College and are used by permission of Harvard University.
My Tweets

Copyright © 2023 Harvard Black Law Students Association · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme