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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
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