Press Release: Harvard President Bacow “Would Be Happy” to Engage in Conversation with Prison Divestment Organizers

On the evening of April 11, the Harvard Fossil Free Divest Campaign held a Public Forum on divestment featuring several Harvard affiliates, including Cornel West, Jim Engell, Jim Anderson, and Karen Shapiro. There was also one unexpected speaker at the panel: Harvard University President Larry Bacow.

The Harvard administration, in conversation with Fossil Free Divest organizers, prior to the forum, stated explicitly that they would not attend an event co-sponsored by the Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign. Student organizers suggest that this move demonstrates how the University administration silences the voices of people of color and attempts to divide the two campaigns to break cross-movement solidarity.

“Our movements cannot and will not be divided by the Harvard administration,” said Salma Abdelrahman, a senior at Harvard College and member of the Harvard Prison Divestment Campaign stated. “This is a clear and classic silencing tactic. And guess what? We’re not fooled by it.”

Members of HPDC witnessed the panel from the audience and actively engaged with President Bacow during the question and answer period. During the Q&A, Abdelrahman stated that President Bacow has not engaged at all with organizers on the issue of divesting from the prison industrial complex and reinvesting in communities. Abdelrahman asked “Why do you believe that education should be funded by incarceration, which is slavery, which is the destruction of individuals and communities?” Abdelrahman reminded Bacow that HPDCs petition, which garnered 3,400 signatures and HPDC’s multiple requests for a meeting has been met with silence from the Office of the President.

President Bacow refused to address the question. Instead, he argued that he had agreed to meet with members of HPDC during his office hours, when HPDC had a sum total of twenty minutes of dialogue with President Bacow. He reiterated his claim that he prefers “reason” to demands, and asserted, “We have processes for engaging with these sorts of things. I would be happy to broker meetings with students and faculty who care about these issues.” Since HPDC brought their demands to the Harvard administration in 2018 with an invitation to a community forum about prison divestment, Bacow has not initiated any of these processes with student organizers. The full footage of the interaction can be found at this link.

“Bacow’s commitment to engaging in conversation with prison divestment organizers seems tenuous at best,” said Joe Pinto, a student at the Harvard Divinity School. “For Bacow, civil discourse means no answers.” Amanda Chan, a student at the Law School and member of HPDC commented, “Based on what he said tonight, President Bacow should be free to attend a public town hall. We expect to see him there.”