The Rise and Fall of Claudine Gay

“The question remains: what will be Dr. Claudine Gay’s legacy when it comes to Palestine?”

The last few months have made Claudine Gay a household name. Before she rose to prominence as the first Black president of Harvard, she was a well-respected scholar, a professor at the Ivy League institution, and, according to her colleagues, a woman of integrity, sharp intellect, and undeniable drive. However, for the Haitian community, perhaps the most important thing about Dr. Gay is that she is the daughter of Haitian immigrants. 

At first glance, Dr. Gay’s story may look like the ultimate immigrant success story, but it is far from that. To understand how anti-Blackness left Dr. Gay susceptible to the unfortunate events that took place recently, one must understand the white supremacist propaganda that many Black immigrants, including Haitians, are fed. The unfortunate naïveté of the Black immigrant experience is buying into the white supremacist lie that there is an untapped chance at the American dream that Black Americans have simply “overlooked.” The violence of it is thinking that our Black siblings on this land are not “good enough” or “hardworking enough” to access it. An institution like Harvard does not exist for nearly 400 years (since 1636) without a Black president because no suitable Black candidate exists on this land. It is by design.

“An institution like Harvard does not exist for nearly 400 years (since 1636) without a Black president because no suitable Black candidate exists on this land. It is by design.”

The truth is, Dr. Gay’s biggest faux pas was not anything she said or did not say during the congressional hearing. It was having the audacity to think a Haitian American Black woman would ever be found good enough to lead the next herd of colonizers. She thought that the respectable negro could win. But alas, the respectable negro is good but never good enough. 

When a Black person is handpicked by white supremacy, they must continuously proclaim their unwavering allegiance to it. It is indisputable that Claudine Gay is no Palestinian ally – she is far from that. Much to the chagrin and disappointment of Arab and Muslim students at Harvard, she first chose silence in the face of unspeakable tragedy. She then issued a statement condemning antisemitism without addressing the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people and the equally alarming and ever-growing anti-Arab and Islamophobic sentiments on college campuses. 

In fact, at the congressional hearing, Dr. Gay provided intellectually cautious, diplomatic, middle-of-the-road answers that could only frustrate someone like me, who often just wants people to pick a side. 

What classed Black people like Claudine Gay failed to understand is white supremacy knows no loyalty; the choice to lean into white supremacy must be renewed daily, and your chance to remain in its good graces must be proven continuously. A chosen negro is never done proving their worth. Regardless of the truth, regardless of morals, regardless of the apparent heartbreak to the thousands of Arab and Muslim students and allies, if she had made a statement in support of white supremacy, it would have carried no adverse consequences. 

The question remains: what will be Dr. Claudine Gay’s legacy when it comes to Palestine?

Palestine’s liberation is arguably one of the most significant assignments for this generation. One cannot help but wonder if, when Palestine is inevitably free, will Harvard have the audacity to purport to have been on the right side of history all along? Will they rewrite the public humiliation of Dr. Gay as their hero story and claim that at the height of the Palestinian genocide, their institution was scrutinized and demonized for “doing the right thing”? 

After all, nothing pleases a white audience like a good story of martyrdom, and revisionist history is the never-ending gift of white supremacy. 

Ultimately, Dr. Gay found herself in a conundrum that Black women face too often – she could please no one. On the one hand, in her desperation to hold on to her status as Harvard’s elite, she never took the morally righteous stance to support Palestine, her Arab students, her Muslim students, and her Black, Brown, and Anti-Zionist Jewish students who are facing constant harassment. On the other hand, Dr. Gay never outright endorsed white supremacy. In the end, with her playing both sides, she lost the support from all groups.   

“…Dr. Gay’s revenge may, after all, rest in the liberation of the very people she was not courageous enough to boldly defend–Palestinians.”

While so much remains to be seen, when Harvard decides to rewrite history and claim not to have been against Palestine, it will also have to do the work to rewrite Dr. Gay’s now tarnished legacy. Thus, Dr. Gay’s revenge may, after all, rest in the liberation of the very people she was not courageous enough to boldly defend–Palestinians. 

Dr. Gay’s downfall was heartbreaking for many who are affirmed through representation, but it was also predictable. Just as predictable as the fact that, to save face, in the next century, when generations to come start scrutinizing and interrogating Harvard’s actions, its version of the events of the last few weeks will be radically different. All of it is so predictable. The white supremacist playbook is recycled. It is recycled because it has always worked and will continue to work well so long as we refuse to accept that our struggles are intertwined and our liberation is a collective effort.

Photo via The Harvard Crimson

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