Ethnic discrimination and intimidation are not forms of activism. That is why Concerned Women for America (CWA) CEO and President Penny Nance wrote a letter last week to Ms. Mary Sue Coleman, president of the University of Michigan.
I am writing on behalf of the more than half-a-million members of Concerned Women for America (CWA) to express our concerns with the recent events at your prestigious institution, where some Jewish students were targeted because of their ethnicity.
The events that transpired on campus relating to a student resolution asking the university to divest from companies that invest or operate in Israel were troubling. News reports spoke of death threats and racial epithets directed at Jewish students who opposed the resolution.
The letter laid out the fact that at least one student supportive of Israel received death threats. Several others were allegedly called “kikes” and “dirty Jews.”
Whatever the nature of the resolution being considered by the Central Student Government, I think you would agree that the University of Michigan cannot offer safe harbor to any type of ethnic discrimination or hatred against any group.
Students in support of the resolution delivered “eviction notices” to the dorm rooms of 1,500 freshmen and opened a Twitter hashtag that hurled several troubling slurs against Israel. The tension was so high that some students said they felt intimidated because of the way they voted.
[N]o student should ever feel threatened for voting his conscience on student government matters. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened on the recent vote.
The resolution seems to be part of a concerted effort by some outside interests to smear the nation of Israel at every college and university in America. That means the University of Michigan is sure to see this type of action again, and CWA is asking the university to take a pro-active approach to ensure the safety and respect of every student.
[W]e urge you to take affirmative steps to make sure these incidents of intimidation and bigotry are never repeated again.
Click here to read the letter in its entirety.