A Nation of Islam spokeswoman who was originally recommended to speak on a panel about reparations at San Diego State University will not be selected to participate in the event.
Four students in the joint Ph.D program in Education offered at SDSU and Claremont Graduate University received $170,000 in funding from the Office of the Provost in order to implement programs designed to improve the experiences of black students at the university.
Each student was given the funds to examine how black people are depicted in the media and to create events such as a speakers series on black issues, a summit exploring the topic of slavery reparations, and more. One of those four students, Terry Sivers, proposed the idea of a panel to discuss the idea of reparations.
“For me, it’s about the student body in general — to really get them to think critically and be exposed to information,” said Sivers to the school newsletter earlier this month. “I think having the conversation about reparations will make change within our institutions a little more palatable.”
Sivers suggested a number of possible panelists, including: “Acclaimed author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates, economist Sandy Darity (Duke University), political expert Yvette Carnell and attorney Antonio Moore — all of the #ADOS (American Descendants of Slavery) Movement, spiritual and religious leader Ava Muhammad, professor and activist Frank Wilderson, and Omali Yeshitela of the Uhuru Movement.”
Muhammad, however, has a history of anti-Semitic comments, some of which recirculated online following news that she was a potential speaker.
My college, @SDSU, invited a spokesperson of the Nation of Islam, Ava Muhammad, to speak on campus about reparations.
Here she is saying that Jews are “godless… blood-sucking parasites [that] sell us alcohol, drugs, depraved sex, and every other type of low-life thing.” pic.twitter.com/04YbWoLHX4
— Dylan Meisner ?? (@DylMeisner) December 22, 2019
Muhammad is a spokeswoman for the Nation of Islam. In 2017, she was asked about Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader, and his frequent attacks against Jewish people. She responded by calling them “godless” and “blood-sucking parasites [who] sell us alcohol, drugs, depraved sex, and every other type of low-life thing,” according to the Times of San Diego.
During that same answer, she also claimed that Jewish people were the driving force behind keeping black people down in the South following the conclusion of the Civil War.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt tweeted out the Times of San Diego piece and commented, “Shameful @SDSU is allowing a platform for her hateful and #antiSemitic message.”
NOI spokesperson Ava Muhammad has referred to Jews as “bloodsucking parasite(s)” who sell “alcohol, drugs, depraved sex and every other type of low-life thing.” Shameful @SDSU is allowing a platform for her hateful and #antiSemitic message. https://t.co/4h1nvbj9ZF
— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) December 23, 2019
A spokesman for San Diego University told the Washington Examiner on Monday that Muhammad is no longer in consideration for the panel, saying that the student who proposed the event has since “opted to revise the program” and that “those speakers will not be confirmed to speak” at the university. The school added that it never approved any of the possible guests.
“The student’s proposed speaker list previously included those who have espoused anti-Semitic rhetoric in the past. We strongly reject anti-Semitic, and other disparaging messages and actions. SDSU will offer support to the student organizer to ensure that the original basis for the event — a critical exploration of slavery and reparations — can proceed,” the statement read.
“At SDSU, we appreciate input from our on and off campus community members, including faculty, staff and Jewish leaders,” it continued. “This input and collaboration have helped the university to directly address the concerns raised. SDSU is also in active conversations to help ensure members of its Jewish community are supported, has revised the review and approval process for student events, and is looking to expand diversity training. Additionally, the SDSU Hillel Center has been a proactive and supportive partner and we value their continued close collaboration.”
The statement concluded, “Any effort that serves to further societal division is antithetical to what SDSU values. We are a diverse community, and it is our diversity and the preservation of an inclusive environment that creates our greatness.”
It’s unclear who will be approved for the panel on reparations.
