AMHERST — A Princeton University professor who used her keynote speech at Hampshire College’s commencement to criticize President Donald Trump for normalizing violence and racism has canceled upcoming public appearances after reportedly receiving death threats.
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, assistant professor of African American studies at Princeton and author of “From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation,” on June 1 announced through her publisher’s Facebook page that she would be calling off public lectures scheduled at Seattle’s Town Hall and at the University of California in San Diego.
“I am canceling my appearances for fear of my safety and my family’s safety,” Taylor wrote on the Haymarket Books Facebook page. “Since last Friday, I have received more than 50 hate-filled and threatening emails. Some of these emails have contained specific threats of violence, including murder.”
She traced these threats to a Fox News online report about her Hampshire College talk, which she observed had been “applauded” by students, faculty and families when it was delivered May 20. But the cable news report called her speech an “anti-POTUS tirade.”
During her commencement talk, Taylor described Trump as “a racist megalomaniac.”
“It is not a benign observation, but has meant tragic consequences for many people in our country — from terror-inducing raids in the communities of undocumented immigrants to his disparaging of refugees in search of freedom and respite,” Taylor said. “He has empowered an attorney general who embraces and promulgates policies that have already proven to have had a devastating impact on black families and communities.”
Hampshire President Jonathan Lash and Gaye Hill, chairwoman of the college’s trustees, issued a joint statement Thursday that the college stands in solidarity with Taylor.
“We are appalled by the vicious and explicitly racist, misogynistic, and homophobic threats being directed against Professor Taylor in response to her remarks. And we condemn the actions of those who are inciting violence by willfully taking information out of context and fanning the flames of prejudice and hate,” they wrote.
Lash and Hill went on to say that Taylor has their heartfelt support and thanks for delivering an important message to the campus community, stating:
“In her address, Professor Taylor spoke forcefully about the political rhetoric and policies that are exerting harm on communities of color, women, immigrants, people who are undocumented, and so many others whose existence threatens the status quo. She talked about her life as an activist and called upon all of us to engage in the trajectory of history, struggle, solidarity and hope in advancing justice. She reminded us that it is the resistance of ordinary people that ultimately overcomes abuses of power and violations of human rights. These are themes that resonate deeply with the Hampshire community and our institutional mission to ‘foster a lifelong passion for learning, inquiry, and ethical citizenship that inspires students to contribute to knowledge, justice, and positive change in the world.’”
The emailed threats to Taylor included obscenities and offensive racist and sexual terms, as well as possible physical violence.
“I have been threatened with lynching and having the bullet from a .44 Magnum put in my head,” Taylor wrote in her Facebook post.
While she blames Fox News for creating an aura of fear, Taylor issued the statement to show she will not be silent.
“Their side uses the threat of violence and intimidation because they cannot compete in the field of politics, ideas, and organizing,” she wrote. “The true strength of our side has not yet been expressed in its size and breadth, and so they believe they are winning. We have to change this dynamic and begin to build a massive movement against racism, sexism, and bigotry in this country. I remain undaunted in my commitment to that project.”
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.