Why I Can't Be Silent: A Call to Action for Harvard — and for All Americans
Emerging from the Memorial Day weekend and a busy week at a professional, scientific conference (where the topic of Federal grant freezes was at the top of everyone’s list of concerns), I find myself circling back to themes I’ve explored in earlier Substack posts: our fractured political climate, the Trump administration’s multi-pronged assault on Harvard, and the broader question of leadership in times of crisis.
I had hoped to post this piece immediately after Memorial Day, but I flew off to the conference in Atlanta on Tuesday and my week flew by. As it is, I think spending time in the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s home city was helpful in sharpening my thoughts
Like most of you, I have a full plate. My day job is in academic medicine. I care for patients. I teach medical students. I run a research program. And like many of you, I have family — a spouse, children in college, and an aging mother — all of whom need and deserve my attention. My family is my center of gravity. I treasure whatever time I get with them.
So no, I don’t have time to write Substack blog posts.
But I do write because I believe the degradation of the American Republic will hurt people everywhere — including my family. I write because this administration’s attack on science will harm many of the patients I care for. And I write knowing that countless others are investing more time and resources than I am in resisting these corrosive forces.
This Substack is, in part, my answer to the question (and the implied call to action) Dr. King framed so memorably when he asked: what happens when good people stay silent in the face of evil? Evil triumphs.
And so, I cannot be silent. And I urge you to speak up, as well.
What’s been weighing most heavily on my mind of late is the Trump administration’s sustained, strategic attack on my alma mater, Harvard — both the College and the Medical School. These institutions have given me more than I can describe. And as I have written in a previous post, Harvard has long served not only its alumni but the entire American ‘project’ — its culture, its military, its political foundation, its academic leadership. Over nearly four centuries, it has stood as a bulwark of knowledge, truth-seeking, and service to the American Republic
The attacks on Harvard are not isolated. They are part of an assault on institutions of higher learning, and more broadly, on the liberal democratic values that undergird our Republic. If this administration succeeds in undermining Harvard, all of us — not just Harvard alumni — will be diminished.
The scale of this effort is dizzying. I urge you to read several articles that have recently been in the media.
This New York Times article provides a detailed summary of the campaign now underway — and note, it was published before the latest threat to revoke Harvard’s ability to sponsor international students:
NYT: Trump Administration Escalates Fight With Harvard
For a deeper dive into what’s at stake, I recommend this powerful op-ed:
NYT Opinion: Why This Battle Matters.
And for an additional perspective, I commend to you the remarkable Class Day address delivered by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who addressed these threats head-on and called on Harvard graduates to live a life of vigilant resistance:
Harvard Gazette: Take a Stand
It’s impossible to say how this battle will unfold in the months and years ahead, but one thing is clear: the aggressor is playing the long game. The goal is not a temporary win but the permanent disfigurement of a culture that embodies the best of Western liberal democracy — the very foundation of American ideals. Taking a page from previous autocrats’ playbooks, the Trump administration wants to bring Harvard, and all of American higher education, to its knees.
If you are committed to standing up at this pivotal moment in our democratic history, I invite you to join a growing movement: Crimson Courage. This emerging coalition of Harvard faculty, alumni, and allies is organizing to defend the university and the values it represents. Join us:
If you’re a subscriber to this Substack, I can promise you’ll be hearing a lot more from me about this issue of Trump’s attacks on Harvard in the weeks and months ahead.
Because I refuse to be silent.