Colson Whitehead cancels UMass Amherst commencement speech over "shameful" protest arrests
AMHERST - Author Colson Whitehead will no longer be the keynote speaker for the University of Massachusetts Amherst commencement after the university called police on pro-Palestinian protesters on Tuesday.
"Calling the cops on peaceful protesters is a shameful act"
Whitehead, a New York Times bestselling author, announced that he would no longer speak at the ceremony on the social media app Bluesky.
"I sent this message to the UMass administration yesterday: 'I was looking forward to speaking next week at UMass Amherst. I visited two years ago and everyone was awesome. My nephew graduated from there and got a great education. But calling the cops on peaceful protesters is a shameful act.'"
The author continued his statement in a follow-up post: "'I have to withdraw as your commencement speaker. I give all my best wishes and congratulations to the class of '24 and pray for the safety of the Palestinian people, the return of the hostages, and an end to this terrible war.'"
Whitehead was scheduled to speak to just under 7,000 students on Saturday, May 18, and receive an honorary degree from the university.
Whitehead is known for his 2016 novel "The Underground Railroad," which won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and his 2019 novel "The Nickel Boys," which won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. He is one of four people to receive two Pulitzer Prize awards for two pieces of fiction. His most recent novel is "The Crook Manifesto," which came out in 2019.
No commencement speaker
In a statement to WBZ, the school said it will continue with graduation as planned.
"Author Colson Whitehead has informed UMass Amherst that he is withdrawing as speaker for the university's Undergraduate Commencement following the events of May 7 on campus. We respect Mr. Whitehead's position and regret that he will not be addressing the Class of 2024. The ceremony will proceed without a commencement speaker this year," a spokesperson for UMass Amherst said.
130 protesters arrested
UMass Amherst arrested around 130 people on Tuesday night after protesters would not take down an encampment on campus. The protest was in response to Israel taking the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, according to students.
Some students said they were injured during the arrests and claimed that they were brutalized by their school.
"You brutalized your own students last night for peacefully protesting. Their hands going numb from cuffs being too tight, to rashes on their hands and stomachs from being thrown to the ground," student protest organizer Malia Cole said.
The students called on the UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes to resign in the wake of the arrests, but Reyes emphasized that calling police was a last resort.
"Let me be clear - involving law enforcement is the absolute last resort," Reyes said. "It saddens me to send this message tonight, but I am hopeful that our campus community will persevere to find common ground and come together in these challenging times."