Our commitment to Northwestern

Dear Northwestern University Community,

We have the responsibility of chairing the President’s Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate. Along with other members of the committee, our primary commitment is clear: We will help create the conditions for members of our community to thrive without fear of hate or violence (both physical and psychological). We are especially committed to ensuring that students at Northwestern are free to learn, grow, develop, and pursue their interests in ways that are both serious and joyful.

We are a committee who will:

• Listen to members of our community through a lens of curiosity and empathy;
• Work to inform and create more pedagogical opportunities for Northwestern’s community to learn about antisemitism, hate, and Islamophobia. Northwestern is a community of teachers and learners. It is also comprised of humans who fundamentally want to be in good relationships with each other. At its core, our institution promotes possibility and forecloses division and hate. We will lean into our identity;
• Make recommendations to the President and the Provost for ways to help all our members thrive with an intense focus on personal and community well-being.

Our committee will not weigh in on geopolitics. We will not be distracted by the outside noises that suggest we cannot work for whatever reasons. We will not be deterred from the goals outlined above.

The work of this committee is not performative. It is a working committee, comprised of individuals and community members who care about our institution and the broader Northwestern community. We realize that the work will not be easy. We are committed, however, to helping find ways to keep Northwestern a special place of learning, to grow and develop as an institution, and to have meaningful—if difficult—conversations about our futures. These futures will be ones where members of our community thrive.

If you have questions or comments, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at presidentsadvisorycommittee@northwestern.edu. We look forward to hearing from, learning from and with, and serving you.

Warmly,

Effi Benmelech and Bryan Brayboy