Defend Academic Freedom: Reinstate Professor Divya Nair
This petition had 1,528 supporters
The freedom of students and scholars to participate in transformative social justice actions and to engage the world critically is a fundamental cornerstone in academic life. As a group committed to the basic principles of free speech and expression, we (the undersigned) demand that the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) reinstate (with back pay) adjunct professor Divya Nair. We believe that a failure to do so would foster a chilling effect on free speech, and undermine respect for academic and campus workers. Additionally, an adverse decision would undercut the CCP's very own stated educational goal of fostering the next generation of community leadership. Therefore, in its decision on Thursday October 15th, we urge reinstatement.
On October 8th, Divya Nair was suspended without pay by administrators after speaking at a student-led protest. The protest was meant to draw attention to the increased militarization of campus police, as well as to the rise in police recruitment on campus. We, the undersigned, believe that Nair’s free speech rights have been violated. In the wake of an intensified carceral state, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the increased hostility experienced by adjunct and contingent faculty across the nation, we believe it is important to respect the free speech rights of Nair and others.
Nair is an active organizer and highly visible participant in social movements from Occupy Philadelphia to #Blacklivesmatter. In protesting the militarization of CCP and predatory police recruitment on campus of working class black and brown youth, she stands with the proposed Coalition for People’s Control of CCP, sponsored by the Revolutionary Student Coordinating Committee, CCP Students for Justice in Palestine, Temple Students for Justice in Palestine, Action against Black Genocide, Philly REAL Justice Coalition, Justice for Dr. Anthony Monteiro, and the Trayvon Martin Organizing Committee).
We, the undersigned, are community members and organizations united in solidarity with Divya Nair to demand that CCP administrators immediately reinstate her with back pay and provide a detailed account for the reasons for her suspension. We firmly believe that justice for Divya is part of the struggle for accessible and democratic higher education in the Philadelphia community. We will not allow these attacks on workers’ rights and academic freedom to go unchecked.
