As obtained by The Free Beacon telepathically via the mind of Andrew Stiles:
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Eight score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we (metaphorically) stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. …
But 160 years later, I see no changes. All I see is racist faces. Misplaced hate makes disgrace to races. The only time we chill is when we kill each other. It takes skill to be real, time to heal each other. One hundred and sixty years later, the Person of Color is still languished in the corners of American society and finds herself in exile in her own land. …
To continue to fight—on the beaches, on the landing grounds, in the fields and in the streets, whatever the cost may be—for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Corporation in a period when our entire focus should be on upholding scholarly rigor and confronting hate in all its forms.
Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at 1:00 p.m. today.
When I came to power in 2023 my road was clearly mapped out. It had been defined in a struggle, which had put me under an obligation to the Harvard people. The social part of this program meant unifying the Harvard people, overcoming all class and race prejudices, and if necessary, breaking any opposition to this unity. … It was the same in foreign politics. My program was to do away with Versailles. …
When my brief presidency is remembered, I hope it will be seen as a moment of reawakening to the importance of striving to find our common humanity—and of not allowing rancor and vituperation to undermine the vital process of education. I promise to never give you up, to never let you down, to never run around and desert you. To never make you cry, never say goodbye, or tell a lie and hurt you. After my picture fades, and darkness has turned to gray, watching through windows, you’re wondering if I’m okay. If you’re lost you can look and you will find me, time after time.
Sincerely,
Claudine Gay
(She/her)
