Our Demand

We, the Graduate Leaders for Equitable Education and our supporters, demand the immediate removal of Professor “Qwo-Li” Driskill from the faculty of Oregon State University (OSU). We have documentation of the abuses that Professor Driskill has committed against former students, current students, and other faculty members in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at OSU. These abuses have not only continued, but also escalated during this academic year. In addition, Professor Driskill has built their scholarship, career, and mentorship of students on fraudulent claims that they are of Indigenous ancestry. They also have claimed, without providing evidence, to have African ancestry. Because of these behaviors, we hold the conviction that Professor Driskill cannot serve as an effective member of the faculty. Fire Driskill!

 

Who We Are

The Graduate Leaders for Equitable Education consist of a group of graduate students in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) at OSU. We have all been in Professor Driskill's classes. Some of us have worked with them in other academic capacities.

Some of us are Indigenous, and the majority are people of color. Many of us are transgender or gender-nonconforming. We understand the importance of respecting community and identity, including gender identity. 

In this petition and in any other statements we make, while we will not use the faux Indigenous name Driskill has chosen, we also will not use their dead name. In addition, we strive to use the right pronouns for everyone. We appreciate your support and compassionately urge the use of “they/them” pronouns when referring to Driskill. Please send us corrections to any names and pronouns that we get wrong.

You can find more information about us and our grievances regarding Driskill at our website, osuwgssgrads.wordpress.com.

Accounts of the Harm Driskill has Caused

Current students, former students, and alumni of the OSU WGSS program have told their stories of bullying, isolation, and other harmful treatment from Driskill. Some of them are publicly sharing their accounts. We have collected those public stories here: bit.ly/WGSSharm.

Other Media About our Grievances

We have collected a list of newspaper articles and other media for which the Graduates Leaders for Equitable Education have been interviewed. We will update this document as more articles are published: bit.ly/WGSSGradLeadersMedia.

Evidence Against Professor Driskill's Claims of Indigenous Ancestry

Native scholars and activists have compiled evidence that Professor Driskill's claims of Indigenous ancestry are fraudulent. 

After an investigation into Professor Driskill's claims, the Tribal Alliance Against Frauds (TAAF) has released a statement on the matter: tribalallianceagainstfrauds.org/%22qwo-li%22-driskill. Inside Higher Ed covered TAAF's accusation in an article, www.insidehighered.com/news/faculty-issues/diversity-equity/2023/11/07/oregon-state-professor-accused-falsely-claiming.

In addition, multiple Indigenous tribes and nations from which Driskill has claimed descent have released official correspondence that state that Driskill is not affiliated with them. These letters are compiled on a social media page at facebook.com/61550909816574/posts/pfbid032Xhm1Jo5bnSbKzm9CtMffhCY7NQsvLEnnsrY1KmnMtXMqj9YMWmNkS3PNuCCWWSkl.

Implications for Indigenous Studies

On an episode of the podcast Speaking Out of Place titled “When ‘Natives’ Aren’t,” scholars Joseph Pierce and Liza Black, both of whom are citizens of the Cherokee Nation, discuss the harms associated with academics who fraudulently claim to be Indigenous. Pierce and Black explain that not only do such fraudulent academics tend to behave abusively against colleagues and students, but also their false claims jeopardize the work of Native scholars and threaten Indigenous Studies as a field. The episode names Driskill as an academic who is falsely claiming to be Native. The episode is available at podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-out-of-place/id1655589688?i=1000631944488.

In the article "Settler-Colonial Elimination and the Dobbs Decision: Relationality, Indigenous Kin-making, and Queer Responsibilities" for the journal GLQ, scholars C. Riley Snorton and Chandan Reddy interview Indigenous academics and writers Jodi Byrd and Joseph Pierce. Drs. Byrd and Pierce discuss “'what Indigenous studies and queer studies can bring together,' considering Indigenous dispossession, kinship, settler colonialism, sovereignty, and reciprocity, among many other subjects.” Read the interview at read.dukeupress.edu/glq/article/30/1/81/384413/Settler-Colonial-Elimination-and-the-Dobbs.