Black Harvard alumnae group demands college double down on DEI by ensuring it is ‘essential value’ in hunt for new president after Claudine Gay’s ouster – and calls for creation of task force to push its message

A newly formed Black Harvard alumnae group has demanded that the prestigious college emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion in the wake of Claudine Gay’s resignation.

The Black Alumnae of the Harvard Equity Initiative (BAHEI) have written a petition to the administration calling for DEI to be embedded in nearly all aspects of the university, including professor hiring and student admissions.

The group’s letter, first reported by In return forsaid the organization was “formed in the wake of the attacks on Dr. Claudine Gay and diversity and equality more broadly.”

The demands include guaranteeing that the ‘story surrounding Dr. Gay’s presidency is based on truth,” and the creation of a “DEI task force” on campus.

The letter gave Harvard interim president Dr. Alan Garber (pictured) has until March 15 to respond to demands, including to ensure that the story surrounding his predecessor’s resignation is “grounded in the truth” and to establish a DEI task force.

The BAHEI reportedly gave Harvard’s board until March 15 to respond to their petition, which did not specify the number of signatories but noted that members include “lawyers, DEI experts, social scientists, entrepreneurs, business people, scientists, educators, journalists and media experts.’

The group centered its petition around Gay’s dramatic resignation from Harvard’s presidency in January, which came just six months into her term.

Gay’s resignation sparked “serious concern” among BAHEI members, as they began the letter by labeling her resignation as “unfortunate” – despite significant allegations of plagiarism in her academic work that led to her downfall.

Harvard’s first black president also faced severe backlash for her disastrous congressional hearing on anti-Semitism on college campuses, where she failed to declare that calling for the genocide of Jews violated Harvard’s code of conduct.

The criticism of the hearing came as a number of college campuses, including Harvard, were rocked by clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel students in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.

Her resignation was seen by BAHEI as the result of Harvard’s failure to stand by the president, writing, “Dr. Gay (endured) vitriol without a well-coordinated defense to counter the well-coordinated attacks.”

“We want to know how Harvard will handle the selection of its next president, and how the university plans to deal with the ongoing assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at Harvard, in academia, and in society in a broader sense.’

Gay’s alleged plagiarism was dismissed in the letter as “intended to undermine confidence in Dr. Gay, since she is a Black woman” – labeling the accusations as “the first salvo” in an “all-out war on DEI.”

Harvard did not immediately respond to request for comment on the letter when contacted by DailyMail.com.

The letter argued that Gay’s scandal was “designed to advance a false narrative and dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Harvard and beyond.”

“In our view, they were racist and misogynistic, and Harvard’s silence or misinterpretation of these attacks indicates a profound misunderstanding of the crisis facing the country and all institutions.”

To counter the backlash against DEI, the group made five demands for the board to take action in response.

First, BAHEI requested that the “story surrounding Dr. Gay out of the presidency is based on truth and that Harvard leadership Dr. steadfastly supports Gay in the future and defends her against future attacks on her character, home or person.’

The second demand was to “participate in a transparent selection process for the next president of Harvard University, in which diversity, equity and inclusion are considered essential values.”

BAHEI also called for DEI to be enshrined in “all facets of college hiring and admissions,” which would still follow the Supreme Court’s reduction of affirmative action mandates.

The fourth demand was to “refine” Harvard’s DEI strategy, including deploying DEI experts, creating a DEI task force “to openly meet the needs of students, employees, and faculty,” and refining Harvard’s role in society.

Finally, the group requested that Harvard provide “historical and trend data on enrollment by race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and heritage status” to track DEI progress.

Gay’s resignation followed severe backlash over her disastrous congressional hearing on anti-Semitism on college campuses in December 2023, where she failed to declare that calling for genocide of Jews violated Harvard’s code of conduct.

The group justified their demands by saying that after the Gay Congress hearing, “cynical forces” have attempted to attack free speech on campuses across America and “paint DEI as anti-Semitic or racist.”

They also felt that following the letter would support Interim President Dr. Alan Garber’s call to “bridge the gaps that have weakened our sense of community.”

“Many of the signatories are a testament to the success of Harvard’s DEI policies and practices,” the group concluded.

“As a global academic leader, Harvard is uniquely positioned to lead and exemplify the urgent need to protect and promote diversity, inclusion and equality for all.”

Contra, who first reported on the letter, said BAHEI emphasized that its group was separate from the Harvard Black Alumni Society, which was not involved in writing the new DEI letter.