Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Some Students At Suffolk Law Protest Choice Of ADL Leader As Commenc

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Some Students At Suffolk Law Protest Choice Of ADL Leader As Commenc

    SOME STUDENTS AT SUFFOLK LAW PROTEST CHOICE OF ADL LEADER AS COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER

    Boston Business Journal
    April 17 2014

    Mary Moore

    Students at Suffolk University Law School are opposing the school's
    choice of Abraham Foxman, the national director of the Anti-Defamation
    League, as its commencement speaker.

    Amy Willis, president of the school's student chapter of the National
    Lawyers Guild in Massachusetts, said student members of the Guild,
    several faculty members and Muslim students attending Suffolk
    University have expressed dissent about Suffolk's choice of Foxman.

    They have written emails and letters to Suffolk University's
    administration, she said. Willis is a second-year law student at
    Suffolk and is a student attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services.

    In an April 14 letter to Suffolk President James McCarthy, the National
    Lawyers Guild at Suffolk Law wrote that Foxman has been "a proponent
    of many disturbing policies" and has "failed to embrace the promotion
    of truly inclusive diversity."

    The student chapter's letter reads, in part:

    "In 2007, he spoke out publicly about the (Anti-Defamation League's)
    stance on the Armenian genocide, denying that the deaths of 1.5 million
    Armenians rose to the level of a genocide -- calling it tantamount to
    genocide, but refusing to define this tragedy with the appropriate
    and meaningful political term. ... Mr. Foxman's commentary on the
    Armenian genocide hits home at Suffolk law, as there are students of
    Armenian descent whose families would feel uncomfortable and unwelcomed
    at commencement."

    Suffolk University, in an email response to the BBJ, said that the
    concerns expressed by members of the Suffolk University community
    caused the university to "reexamine Mr. Foxman's career of work"
    to ensure that it is in line with Suffolk's principles. Foxman was
    chosen as the commencement speaker and to receive an honorary degree
    due to his work for nearly 50 years with the Anti-Defamation League.

    Suffolk offered this response:

    "While some have disagreed with statements he has made, Mr. Foxman's
    body of work is deserving of recognition. As President Obama said
    only weeks ago following the announcement of Mr. Foxman's upcoming
    retirement from the ADL: 'For decades, Abe Foxman has been a tireless
    voice against anti-Semitism and prejudice in all of its forms, always
    calling us to reject hatred and embrace our common humanity. It is
    our hope that Mr. Foxman's personal story as a Holocaust survivor and
    attorney who has dedicated his life to public service will inspire
    our graduates as they embark on their professional careers. In the
    weeks to come, we will work with those who may still have concerns to
    find ways to engage Mr. Foxman in a dialogue on the important issues
    they have brought to our attention."

    http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2014/04/17/some-students-at-suffolk-law-protest-choice-of.html

Working...
X