The Canary in the Coal Mine: Dr. Claudine Gay Tried To Warn Y’All
More of my Harvard alumna response to this American moment of leopards & faces, ft. recent artistry from Franchesca Ramsey & fellow alumna 蒋雨融 / Jiang Yurong
Intro
In light of Harvard's refusal to defend Dr. Claudine Gay and its subsequent outcry over federal retaliation, I am (semi-)publicly sharing the emails I received as an alum. These messages, spanning from August 2024 to April 2025, reveal a selective outrage and a pattern of institutional cowardice.
When a Black woman was under attack, silence.
When their white-led power structure was threatened, alarm bells.
Observe the gap between what they say and what they did.
At the end of this piece is an appendix with the full emails I received and analyzed for this essay.
And now, a topical word from our community
Franchesca Ramsey's "I Never Thought the Leopards Would Eat My Face" is now available in the "Where's That Leopard Lady" digital download.
Dr. Claudine Gay was the canary in the coal mine
As the first Black president of Harvard University, she became a lightning rod for right-wing attacks that masqueraded as concerns over plagiarism and antisemitism, but were in truth part of a broader campaign to dismantle anti-racism, DEI, and the very presence of Black women in leadership. Harvard folded to this pressure—refusing to defend her with the conviction and institutional power it boasts in every email about "inclusion" and "community."
And now?
That same institution…