Palestine Legal Sends Letter Demanding Dept of Ed Address Anti-Palestinian Discrimination and Protect Free Speech in Advance of Incoming Trump Administration

Image via Mother Jones

On October 31, 2024, Palestine Legal — along with Muslim Advocates, Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee, and Jewish Voice for Peace Action — met with Catherine Lhamon, the Assistant Secretary of the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education, to demand OCR take steps to address the discrimination and repression experienced Palestinian and allied students across college and university campuses.

The conversation built on our ongoing advocacy to the Department of Education over the course of the past year, including letters and complaints from a coalition of organizations about the virulent and ongoing discrimination against students advocating for Palestine.

Our follow-up letter to Assistant Secretary Lhamon, featured below, details actions we request OCR take in advance of the Trump administration taking office. The president-elect has vowed to crack down on protesters demanding Palestinian liberation, paving the road to dismantle anti-discrimination laws and the eliminate universities as sites of integral dissent. We urge OCR to take immediate corrective measures to ensure that universities address anti-Palestinian discrimination and harassment and protect free speech and academic freedom.

Read the full letter here.