Eden Getahun was ecstatic when, just 13 months ago, she learned Harvard University would have its first Black female president. But she sensed even then that Claudine Gay, a prominent African American studies scholar, would face harsh obstacles leading the predominantly white institution.

There was “excitement and hope in terms of what it represents for Black women everywhere to see someone like them in a position of authority like this,” said Getahun, a Black woman and a junior studying social studies at Harvard. “But I did, from the very beginning, recognize there is a chance that she is just going to be used as a puppet of the institution. This situation has proven she still is a victim of these controlling forces.”

Gay resigned as president of the university Tuesday after she faced backlash for her testimony at a congressional hearing last month about antisemitism on U.S. campuses, which was followed by allegations of plagiarism. The charge was largely led by conservative activists who deemed her a “diversity hire.”

[Well, gosh, I’m sorry, privileged Harvard students. The “system” was built for learning, working, following rules, and earning what you receive. Is that you or not? ~ Beege]