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UPDATE 10/8: Joel Malina issued a "clarification" regarding his comments on the KKK.
"My comments, in response to a question from a participant in the meeting about the KKK, were made in the context of my being challenged on why Cornell is allowing some hurtful speech to take place and to illustrate Cornell’s deep commitment to free expression. In retrospect, it was a terrible analogy that was posed, and a false equivalency, and I should have said as much in response. To be clear, the KKK is abhorrent by any standard, and Cornell University would never invite a representative of the KKK to campus. Any speaker invited by a faculty member or student organization is reviewed by the University Events Team and is only allowed to come to campus if the safety of all in our community can be assured," Malina wrote.
Black students at Cornell University are seeking action after an official said the school would allow the Ku Klux Klan to speak on campus.
According to the Cornell Daily Sun, Vice President of University Relations Joel Malina commented on the possibility of a KKK campus appearance during a private Zoom call with Jewish parents last week. Malina reportedly said Cornell University would allow a KKK representative on campus if they were invited by a faculty member or student group.
Following his comments, Cornell's Black Students United (BSU) called for Malin to be fired. Roughly 180 students protested on campus last week.
“Fire Joel Malina!” and “Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! Joel Malina has got to go,” protesters chanted as they marched across campus.
Ahead of the demonstration, BSU held an emergency meeting advocating for Malina's termination.
“All students of color at Cornell are under attack by administration. We do not feel safe, seen or heard. Help amplify our voices, we are stronger together,” an Instagram post advertising the meeting read.
The students argue Malina’s remarks put their community at risk.
“The events of the last two days mean nothing could be the same,” one masked protestor said. “I see my community mobilized the way I never could have imagined. Now we can’t go back.”
The demonstration comes off the heels of another protest where pro-Palestinians interrupted a career fair. International graduate student Momodou Taal was suspended over his involvement in the career fair disruption.
The BSU is also calling for Taal's suspension to be reversed. If Taal is withdrawn from the University, he could be deported for violating his F-1 visa status.
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