'Harvard, do you hear us?' Indian American student Shruthi Kumar in graduation speech slams Ivy League school over punishment, censorship of Gaza protestors
She remembered the 13 students at Harvard who were barred from graduating due to their active involvement in campus protests against Israel's assault on Gaza in her speech.
Indian-origin student speaker Shruthi Kumar delivering a speech at the graduation ceremony of Harvard University. (YouTube)
CHENNAI: An Indian-origin student of Harvard University denounced the Ivy League school in her commencement ceremony speech for the arbitrary action taken against students protesting against Israel’s continuous assault on Gaza. The video of her speech 'The Power of Not Knowing', which was reportedly different from what she had previously said she would speak about, has gone viral on the Internet, attracting differing opinions on the issue.
Shruthi Kumar, an Indian-American graduating student from Nebraska, chosen to deliver the English commencement remarks, said, “As I stand here today, I must take a moment to recognize my peers—the 13 undergraduates in the class of 2024 who will not graduate today.”
She was referring to the 13 pro-Palestine students at Harvard who were barred from graduating due to their active involvement in campus protests, even after a majority of the university’s faculty voted for the students to have their degrees conferred. The Harvard Corporation voted on Wednesday to halt the students’ graduation.
Amidst encouragement by the crowd and a standing ovation, Shruthi expressed, “I am deeply disappointed by the intolerance for freedom of speech and the right to civil disobedience on campus. What is happening on campus is about liberty."
Shruthi, who has been the President of the Harvard South Asian Association since May 2022, said: “The students have spoken. The faculty have spoken." Shruthi then asked, Harvard, do you hear us?”
Shruthi emphasised that "solidarity is not dependent on what we know." Further, she said, "Maybe we don’t know what it’s like to be ethnically targeted. Maybe, we don’t know what it’s like to come face to face with violence and death. But, we don’t have to know. Solidarity is not dependent on what we know. Because not knowing is an ethical stance."
The student speaker went on to say, “We are in a moment of intense division and disagreement in our community over the events in Gaza. I see pain, anxiety and unrest across campus. But, it’s now in a moment like this that the power of not knowing becomes critical."
Shruthi also said that her class had experienced more than their fair share of the unknown, referring to the uncertainty of their graduation as well as the punishment of their expressions of solidarity and freedom of speech.
She then went on to touch upon her own life experiences to further highlight the theme of her speech - knowing and not knowing: “I grew up in the Great Plains of Nebraska alongside cattle ranches and cornfields as the eldest daughter of South Asian immigrants. I was the first in my family to attend college here in the US,” Shruthi shared. “There was a lot I didn’t know… The words ‘I don’t know’ used to make me feel powerless… But from Nebraska to Harvard, I found myself redefining this feeling of not knowing.”
“I don’t know - so I ask. I listen. I believe an important type of learning takes place, especially in moments of uncertainty, when we lean into conversation without assuming we have all the answers. Can we see humanity in people we don’t know? Can we feel the pain of people with whom we disagree?” Shruthi concluded.
Upon the conclusion of Shruthi’s speech, over 1,000 Harvard University students staged a walkout in solidarity with the 13 students barred from graduating. Many of them displayed Palestinian flags and banners demanding an "end to Israel's genocide".
Reportedly, Shruthi's original speech was still titled 'The Power of Not Knowing', but it was on asking students to embrace uncertainty as they transition into a new future after graduation, as mentioned in the Harvard Gazette.
Meanwhile, many netizens came in support of Shruthi Kumar, exhibiting their support for war-torn Gaza as well as their disappointment at students being unlawfully arrested and suspended in many universities.
Colleges including Arizona State University, Columbia University, City College of New York, and Emerson College have detained more than 100 students who have protested Israel's war on Gaza.
More than 2,900 students have been arrested or detained in over 130 college and university campuses across the United States for pro-Palestine protests.
Since the 7 October 2023 attack by Hamas and Israel's retaliatory assault, thousands of students across the world have launched demonstrations, sit-ins, fasts and, most recently, encampments against the war.
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