Syracuse prof claims critiques of Claudine Gay are rooted in bigotry against black women
Jenn Jackson, an assistant professor of political science at Syracuse, called criticisms of Claudine Gay’s scholarship 'attacks on Critical Race Theory and Black women academics.'
On Dec. 17, Jackson wrote on X that, 'Black people (like Indigenous people) cannot be racist against white people.'
A Syracuse professor who teaches a course on “Black Feminist Politics” is defending Harvard president Claudine Gay in the wake of plagiarism allegations and despite her failure to say that calls for the genocide of Jews violate campus guidelines.
Jenn Jackson, an assistant professor of political science, called criticism of Claudine Gay’s scholarship “attacks on Critical Race Theory and Black women academics” in a post to X (formerly Twitter) on Dec. 11.
Please be clear that the attacks on Dr. Claudine Gay are attacks on Critical Race Theory and Black women academics. Don’t mistake them for anything else.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) December 11, 2023
“Please be clear that the attacks on Dr. Claudine Gay are attacks on Critical Race Theory and Black women academics,” Jackson said. “Don’t mistake them for anything else.”
In 2021, Jackson made similar critiques of American culture when she argued that Al-Qaeda blew up the World Trade Center because the United States discriminates against queer and minority women.
Campus Reform Editor-in-Chief Zachary Marschall criticized Jackson’s faulty logic in an editorial that questioned why the Islamist terrorist organization would stand up for women or queers.
[RELATED: Harvard hosts lecture promoting critical race theory]
Jackson doubled down on her comments about Gay on Dec. 12.
“The notion that Dr. Claudine Gay does not deserve her job or has used covert methods to obtain her degree is rooted in misogynoir,” Jackson wrote. “Misogynoir” refers to bigotry on the basis of someone being both black and a woman.
The notion that Dr. Claudine Gay does not deserve her job or has used covert methods to obtain her degree is rooted in misogynoir. It’s possible to feel strongly about her comments WITHOUT insinuating that she is unqualified or lied to obtain her position.
— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) December 12, 2023
“It’s possible to feel strongly about her comments WITHOUT insinuating that she is unqualified or lied to obtain her position,” Jackson added.
Jackson seemingly was referring to Gay’s testimony before Congress on Dec. 5 in which she said that answered that calling for the genocide of Jews on campus is permissible “depending on the context.” She would later apologize for the comments.
On Dec. 10, conservative activist Christopher Rufo published a report alleging that Gay plagiarized several parts of her PhD dissertation. Congress launched an investigation into Harvard’s handling of the affair on Dec. 20.
Jackson’s comments come after Rufo’s report that Gay engaged in plagiarism.
On Dec. 17, Jackson said that black people can’t be racist against white people.
A reminder: Black people (like Indigenous people) cannot be racist against white people.
Racism is a systemic and processual ecosystem involving mass surveillance, economic control, information censorship, state-sanctioned violence, and institutional discrimination.— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) December 17, 2023
“A reminder,” Jackson wrote, “Black people (like Indigenous people) cannot be racist against white people.”
“Racism is a systemic and processual ecosystem involving mass surveillance, economic control, information censorship, state-sanctioned violence, and institutional discrimination,” she added.
[RELATED: Bates College mandates ‘Race, Power, Privilege and Colonialism’ curriculum]
Jackson also posted on the same day that some men think that feminism is about women hanging out together. “The rest of us want to burn this whole s**t down,” she wrote.
A lot of men think feminism is about women hanging out together, talking about boys, and braiding each other’s hair while singing Taylor Swift songs in our pajamas. White women like Amy Schumer and Lena Dunham made that up.
The rest of us want to burn this whole shit down.— Jenn M. Jackson, PhD (they/them) (@JennMJacksonPhD) December 17, 2023
On Dec. 16, Jackson wrote on X, “When you say Black love, make sure you’re including queer love, ethically non-monogamous love, and platonic love. All Black love is beautiful.” On Dec. 11, she also called for a “global strike” for Palestine.
Campus Reform contacted Jackson for comment. This story will be updated accordingly.
