March 25th 2024.
The academic world was rocked when conservative activist Christopher Rufo accused Harvard sociology professor Christina J. Cross, a highly respected Black woman, of plagiarism. This sparked a heated controversy, with the university administration rushing to Cross's defense and denouncing the attacks as "troubling." According to The Harvard Crimson, Rufo's accusations were part of a larger criticism of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in higher education. Many conservatives believe that academia has a bias against those who hold conservative views, and Rufo's allegations seemed to reinforce this belief.
This is not the first time a Black woman scholar at Harvard has been targeted for academic dishonesty. Previous accusations were made against Claudine Gay, Sherri A. Charleston, and Shirley R. Greene. However, Rufo's claims have been denied by the actual authors of the works he accuses Cross of plagiarizing, including Stacey J. Bosick, who is currently the associate vice president of academic affairs at Sonoma State University. In a written statement to The Crimson, Bosick expressed her concern about the unequal scrutiny faced by Black scholarship.
Jonathan Bailey, an expert on plagiarism, weighed in on the situation, stating that Rufo's and others' arguments were not motivated by academic integrity, but rather political gain. Bailey pointed out that these accusations distract from real cases of plagiarism and instead serve as "political stunts." He also highlighted the disproportionate targeting of Black scholars, stating that "it's putting the focus not on the cases that actually impact science and impact academia, but rather on cases of political expediency."
The sociology department chair, Frank Dobbin, received an anonymous letter accusing Cross of plagiarism. In response, he issued a statement on March 24, dismissing the accusations as "bogus." He also expressed concern about the pattern of attacks against Black women in academia, stating that "Dr. Cross is a brilliant scholar who we ranked at the very top of our pool of applicants when we hired her, from a field of hundreds, on the strength of her scholarship." This sentiment was echoed by many, including Erykah Noelle, who tweeted her support for Cross and condemned the attack on her academic integrity.
The American Sociological Association's Family Section also released a statement in support of Cross, denouncing the attacks as politically motivated and racist. They expressed their solidarity with Cross and affirmed her value as a scholar within their community.
Don Moynihan, the chair of Georgetown University's public policy school, also shared his thoughts on the situation in a Substack post. He described Rufo's accusations as an attempt to intimidate Black scholars who study race, and he implicated Twitter and its owner, Elon Musk, as being responsible for the spread of these false claims. Moynihan also discussed the role of media outlets in amplifying these accusations and questioned their "obsessive" coverage of Rufo's claims.
Despite the strong backlash against Rufo's claims, he continues to gain support from far-right figures and has even received attention from Elon Musk. Moynihan believes that this is all part of Rufo's playbook, which involves targeting scholars of color and using anonymous accusations to generate media attention. The goal is to discredit these scholars and their work, and sadly, it seems to be working.
In conclusion, the accusations against Dr. Christina Cross are not only baseless but also reflect a larger issue of discrimination against Black scholars in academia. It is essential to recognize and condemn these attacks for what they truly are: attempts to silence and discredit valuable voices in the academic community.
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