It is with great sadness that I share that Harvard shuttered @HLS_CJPP, where I worked over the last four years. I wanted to add two things about this closing, especially for my academic friends who one day may have the opportunity to lead a similar program. 1/n https://twitter.com/HLS_CJPP/status/1314657150078275584

First. The release does not make clear that our program closed because the school wasn’t committed enough to the issues. They opened the center because a donor wanted them to. HLS went through the motions, and it was happy to lay off our team of seven when the money ran out.

We were told about the closure in early 2019. In June 2020, the law school created a new VERY similar center, which it announced in an email as it needed a way to show its commitment to racial justice in response to the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests.

The law school's announcement of this new center also erased the ongoing activism and efforts already happening at the law school, including by @houstoninst and student organizing. It claimed to be doing something NEW and EXCITING in response to our moment.

Harvard also announced this new center as students were calling the school out. https://theappeal.org/law-schools-racism/

Second. The way these centers fit into academic institutions is so problematic. From the school's point of view, they are a way to raise money and market. Harvard is basically 1,0000 centers, all of which bring in their own money, of which Harvard takes some.

From the point of view of faculty, they are a way to broaden their reach. That’s not problematic in and of itself. But it can be: If the centers just close, aren’t institutionalized, and if faculty aren’t aware that real people work at them and are impacted by these issues.

And for my friends who are advocates: consider this when you decide to work at a place like this. These centers have structural issues unlike a typical non-profit because the director doesn’t have much power, the dean does, and deans are mostly invested in making faculty happy.

In some ways, I think us shutting is very right. Movements should be leading on these issues. I do wish that given HLS has decided to open a new center, it had asked us our lessons about an elite institution working on these issues. (An amazing model is @houstoninst).

Tagging a few people who I saw on Twitter were interested in the closure. @JoeDunman @MaybellRomero @RachelGurvich