Dr. Larycia Hawkins is a professor at my university. My friends have taken her classes, she is an active member of our close-knit community, and she’s the only black female professor who is tenured. However, she is now on administrative leave for wearing a hijab and suggesting that Muslims and Christians pray to the same God.  Sign this petition and demand that Wheaton College President Dr. Ryken and Wheaton College Provost Jones issue a formal apology to Dr. Hawkins, and that she be reinstated as Associate Professor of Political Science.

Dr. Hawkins is more than a symbol to us; she is a mentor, a teacher, a friend, a refuge, and an example of Christian leadership to us all. Dr. Hawkins has and continues to be an invaluable resource to the students of Wheaton College, particularly to those of color. She is known for her sharp intelligence, her challenging intellect, and her ability to encourage those around her to live an incarnational faith.

According to Wheaton College’s public statement, the decision to place Dr. Hawkins on administrative leave was not based on the professor’s decision to wear a hijab as a symbol of unity, but rather concerning her public comments “made about the relationship of Christianity to Islam”. In the midst of a toxic socio-political environment where Muslims are the target of stigmatization, acts of aggression, and proposed policy which targets and alienates them, Dr. Hawkins acted in love and in solidarity to be an example of how Christ would respond.

There is nothing in Dr. Hawkins’ public statements that goes against the belief in the power and nature of God, Christ, or the Holy Spirit that the Statement of Faith deems as a necessary requirement for affiliation with Wheaton College. Join the community of Wheaton College to demand Wheaton’s leaders #ReinstateDocHawk!

*This petition was written by supporters of both Wheaton College and Dr. Hawkins. Dr. Hawkins was not involved in the production of this letter or any associated actions.