In late May, one Harvard University graduate said she “needed to say something” after tweaking her graduation speech to call out the school’s response to pro-Palestine protests.
In an interview with NBC News, Shruthi Kumar said that her speech, “The Power of Not Knowing,” was selected by the university over dozens of others and that it had been written and practiced over a few months thanks to the support of fellow students and Harvard faculty. However, when news broke that the university had decided not to confer the degrees of 13 students “who were not in good standing” the evening before graduation day due to their involvement in a pro-Palestine encampment on campus, the senior took matters into her own hands.
The announcement overturned an earlier decision by a faculty body recommending that “they should indeed be allowed to graduate.”
“I knew that this was not just; it was not fair and that I needed to say something,” said Kumar. “I spent a lot of time talking to students that evening. And then at night, around 11:30, I prepared this note card.”
Kumar, who graduated with a double major in the history of science and economics, pulled that same folded note card from her gown as she stepped up to the podium to deliver her address. During her speech, the 22-year-old graduate criticized Harvard’s decision to deny the aforementioned seniors their degrees due to their involvement in a pro-Palestine encampment on campus.
“This semester, our freedom of speech and our expressions of solidarity became punishable, leaving our graduations uncertain,” said Kumar during her speech, initially captured in a university recording of the event and has since amassed millions of views across social media.
@diet_paratha Shruthi Kumar, an Indian American grad for the Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Science and Economics, delivered the Senior English address at the 2024 Harvard commencement. Her speech, titled “The Power of Not Knowing,” recognized her 13 undergraduate peers who were barred from graduating due to their pro-Palestine stance and involvement in the peaceful Gaza Solidarity Encampment at Harvard Yards. #harvarduniversity #palestine #freepalestine #studentprotest ♬ original sound – Diet Paratha
“As I stand before you today, I must take a moment to recognize my peers: the 13 undergraduates in the class of 2024 who will not graduate today,” she continued. “The students had spoken, the faculty had spoken. Harvard, do you hear us?”
After she concluded, Kumar was met with thunderous applause and standing ovations from many in the crowd.
“I was worried I’d be silenced or my mic would be cut,” she recalled. “Thankfully, none of that happened. I’m glad I was allowed the opportunity to say what I needed to say. But looking back at the video, it’s clear faculty are not very pleased.” Kumar added, “I didn’t know it would blow up in this way. I didn’t know it would become such a moment. I just knew I had to say something, and I did.”
The student encampment on Harvard’s campus was similar to many of those at colleges across the nation in the last few months and “protested the tens of thousands of civilian deaths killed in Israel’s strikes on Gaza and called for their university to divest from financially supporting Israel.”
“It’s not just Harvard students that are setting up encampments,” said Kumar. “Whether it’s what people think to be a very liberal university on the East Coast, or a state school from Nebraska, there are protests everywhere, from different types of people, different regions in the U.S. That diversity itself should show that there’s some truth to what we’re speaking.”
During the Harvard commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 23, hundreds of undergraduate students walked out in support of the 13 students who were not allowed to graduate.
