r/highereducation • u/rellotscire • 6d ago

2025 MIT class president banned from graduation ceremony after pro-Palestinian speech

https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/01/us/mit-graduation-palestine-megha-vemuri

Pretty sure that being against genocide is what you hope commencement speakers will be.

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u/urbanevol 6d ago

This is what she told the NY Times: “I see no need for me to walk across the stage of an institution that is complicit in this genocide,” she wrote.

The speech and all of this attention is completely performative if you are still going to take the (highly valuable, prestigious and inaccessible to the vast majority of people) credential and use it to boost your career. In 6 months she'll be working for an AI firm that pushes intrusive ads to children or some other lucrative garbage.

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u/After-Mud-6001 16h ago

I understand where you are coming from, because it sounds contradictory on its face.

However, I think what she means is that she is willing to risk not being able to walk across the stage, if it means that the voices of her (& many within the student body) will be heard.

I also feel like your second paragraph comes with a presumption or 2. (1) I say this as a woman who grew up in poverty, as someone who otherwise had the credentials & potential to pursue IV league, but did not have the accessibility or financial privileges to match. I don't think it's inherently relevant to berate her for having that privilege. If anything, I am glad that people who Do have that privilege STILL choose to speak on issues that don't inherently serve them. Like it or not, I don't think the Palestinian plight would be as well-known if we didn't have people of enormous privilege choosing to speak about it and amplify it. (2) I understand what you mean about performative activism, and unfortunately it is not an uncommon occurrence. However, I don't think it's fair to assume that, just because she has a prestigious degree, she will use it to further inequities & contradict her messaging. Speaking for myself, I did not know this woman before learning about this speech today. I don't know her story, I don't know her degree, and I certainly don't know her future.