Asbury Circle, at the center of Emory University’s Atlanta campus, was host to students and faculty protesting in the name of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), immigrant rights and the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Emory Students for Socialism (SFS) organized the protest, which was attended by around 30 Emory community members and began at 4 p.m. on Sept. 9. In their post for the event, SFS wrote that the purpose of the protest was to “Take a stand against Trump & the billionaires’ attack on our rights!”
The protest comes after Interim University President Leah Ward Sears (80L) announced in a Sept. 3 email that Emory would “discontinue” current DEI offices and programs.
Protestors held signs in support and defense of various issues, such as “Shut down racism not DEI,” “Stand with Palestine, end the occupation now” and “ICE off our campuses now.”
SFS Organizer Saharla Mohamoud (26C) began the protest by telling attendees that terminating DEI programs and offices would make Emory less equitable, less affordable and less accessible.
“DEI programs here, more importantly than anything else, are a representation of the student body more than anything else,” Mohamoud said.
Mohamoud condemned Emory’s willingness to “turn their backs on the Black student body.”
“Our administration has the option to take legal action towards this explicitly illegal takeover of higher education and to use our tuition dollars where they’re theoretically supposed to go to — us,” Mohamoud said. “I didn’t realize it was a crazy thing to say that, but our tuition dollars were supposed to go to help us.”
In an interview with The Emory Wheel, Mohamoud mentioned that SFS planned the event with the goal of “empowering” students.
“I want people to go home and be like, ‘No, we can’t be hopeless about the fact that we lost these services,’” Mohamoud said.
Emory School of Medicine Assistant Professor Matthew Woodruff was the second speaker at the demonstration. In an interview with the Wheel, said diversity is an “integral part of what makes our University run.” Woodruff called those who attack higher education institutions “fascist.”
“The equity of opportunity across race, creed, gender identity, sexual orientation or class, and the inclusion of a spectrum of peoples and their ideas into our academic spaces are not a wishful ideal of a university with global reach,” Woodruff said. “They are a prerequisite for the work that we do.”
Woodruff is an organizer of the Stand Up Emory movement, which he said is a faculty group fighting to protect academic freedom from the influence of federal policy. He added that faculty members across campus are “frightened” of expressing their concerns about removing DEI programs, but called on them to use their freedom of expression to show support for the University.
David Banks (30G) mentioned that he attended the protest because he thought it was important to show his discontent toward the University’s decision.
“DEI is really important, and then the initiatives that it offers, being equitable is something that is really important, especially coming from University administration,” Banks said. “I was really sad to hear that Emory’s admin just decided to discontinue DEI office.”
Banks also shared that he found the University’s decision “pretty abrupt” and was “disappointed” with the communication from the Emory administration.
Banks said the demonstration was a good way to bring attention to student concerns about the University’s decision on DEI programs and offices, and would hopefully inspire more people to stand up against this change.
“We can’t just let things happen and not fight back,” Banks said.
Siya Kumar (she/her) (28C) is a news editor at The Emory Wheel. She is from New Orleans, La., majoring in Economics and Creative Writing on the pre-law track. Outside of the Wheel, Kumar is a market news analyst for the Emory Economics Investment Forum and a writer for the Emory Economics Review. She loves baking, reading, and drinking coffee.
Jacob Muscolino (he/him) (28C) is a News Editor at The Emory Wheel. He is from Long Island and plans to major in History and Psychology. Outside of the Wheel, he is involved in Emory Reads and Emory Economics Review. You can often find Jacob watching the newest blockbuster for his Letterboxd, dissecting The New York Times and traveling to the next destination on his bucket list.
