There was always going to be something that detractors would have found to remove her from the coveted leadership post.
Some of us celebrate the ascension of Black women to leadership positions, and we should also remember that the more visible a Black woman is, the more scrutiny she will face. The more confident she is, the more some will demand her acquiescence. The more unbowed she is, the more she will be viewed as a threat. Until racism, sexism, homophobia and misogynoir are uprooted, advancement for Black women will always be fraught.
Far from the end of the story, ‘breaking barriers’ is a chapter in a complicated book. Even when Black women thrive and blaze new trails, they still need a reservoir of well-connected, well-funded, and well-positioned supporters to ensure that their promotion is not short-lived. They also need leaders who will not surrender to the whims of outspoken critics.
This is top of mind given the resignation of Claudine Gay who was the first African American and first Black woman appointed as president of Harvard University. She served just 6 months in the role, the shortest tenure in the school’s 388-year history. Gay faced intense criticism following her response to a rise of antisemitism on campus, and allegations over improper attributions in some of her scholarly work, a claim Gay categorically denied.
To be clear, antisemitism has no place in our society. No one should go to school and fear being attacked based on their religion or ethnicity. I also believe the attack on Gay was rooted in conservative backlash to progress. There was always going to be something that detractors would have found to remove her from the coveted leadership post.
Unfortunately, I fear this sort of thing will play out time and time again, especially given the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling in June 2023. While the ruling applied to race in college admissions; some activists and scholars believe it will extend to programs designed to address racial inequity.
What happened with Gay appears to be indicative of a broader backlash on racial progress. The storyline may be different, but if there isn’t systemic change, the result will be the same – ousting those who are different or preventing them from accessing opportunity in the first place. We must hope and work for something different.
Jennifer R. Farmer is the principal of Spotlight PR LLC. Check out our blog posts and subscribe for updates.