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New York, NY –– Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of the National Action Network (NAN), today condemned recent comments by hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who claimed Harvard President Claudine Gay was merely hired because she met the university’s diversity, equity, and inclusion criteria.
“What Bill Ackman said about Harvard’s President, that she only leads this nation’s oldest university because of DEI, is offensive. Plain and simple. We cannot allow him to get away with such inflammatory claims with no rebuttal – otherwise affirmative action will surely be dead in all forms. We are not even six months removed from the crushing Supreme Court decision, which Harvard was at the center of, that took a sledgehammer to equity in admissions. Now we have one of the richest men in America attacking a Black woman whose academic credentials are impeccable.
To be clear, NAN denounces any student, or any person, who calls for the genocide of Jews, Palestinians, Blacks, or any other group. Those remarks are inexcusable, inflammatory, and dangerous. Hate speech in any form must be met with serious accountability before it turns into hateful violence. Ackman’s statement, however, only further fuels division at a time when we must focus on coming together. He must not get a pass on what was clearly a bigoted, blatantly false statement.”
About National Action Network (NAN)
National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency, and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender.
For more information go to www.nationalactionnetwork.net
(http://www.nationalactionnetwork.net/).
