Attorney for former top DEI official at University of Michigan have said that their client can apply for legal proceedings after being fired for making anti-Semitic remarks about the school’s relationship with the Jewish community, CNN reported.
Rachel Dawson, who served as director of the university’s Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, was accused of allegedly saying in a March 2024 conversation with two professors at an academic conference on diversity and equity: “The university is controlled by rich Jews.” The anti-Semitic accusations continued, allegedly saying: “We don’t work with Jews. They are rich and privileged and take care of themselves” and “Jews have no ‘genetic DNA’ to connect them to the land of Israel.”
The institution’s provost fired her in early December 2024, labeling her alleged actions “inconsistent with her job duties, including leading a multicultural office responsible for supporting all students, and representing grossly poor judgment.” But Dawson’s attorney, Amanda Gunnam, denies this all charges and claims his client received a warning letter on Oct. 15 and was placed on leave about two weeks before receiving the letter. Gunnam called Dawson’s firing a violation of his client’s constitutional rights. “The law is very clear that public workers are protected by their First Amendment rights,” Gunnam said.
By: The Detroit NewsThe attorney accused Michigan of turning a blind eye to alleged anti-Semitic speech, which is “a straightforward matter of free speech.”
“My client was approached by two women who initiated a conversation with him. He didn’t go to them … they started asking him about the University of Michigan, saying there was a lot of anti-Semitism on campus,” he claimed.
“They got upset and started asking him irrelevant questions about Israel. When they didn’t like what he had to say, they went after his job, and it’s disturbing that the University of Michigan sided with them rather than a beloved leader on campus who is all has a history of supporting and protecting students.”
Gannam argued that Dawson disagreed with the women and indeed Michigan, highlighting the number of campus resources and organizations available to the student body, including the school’s Jewish students. “are complete fabrications.”
The incident could not have come at a more inconvenient time, as tensions have flared between the university’s administration and pro-Palestinian students, and backlash over Michigan’s plans to cut diversity, equity and inclusion programs Dec. 9 at the home of a Jewish member of the school’s board of regents was vandalized with pro-Palestinian graffiti.
Dawson’s biography, which has been removed from the university’s website, states that she is “actively involved in the UM community as a leader, collaborator and DEI champion, such as holding positions on the executive team of the Women of Color Task Force and having; co-chaired the UM Juneteenth Planning Committee.”
Before leading an office that provides resources and support for underrepresented studentsHe worked as the executive director of the university’s academic medical center for six years.
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