07-22-2025
Rachel Dawson was the executive director of the University of Michigan’s Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives. The University fired her in December 2024 after she allegedly made antisemitic remarks at a diversity conference. Dawson purportedly said that Jewish people have “no genetic DNA that would connect them to the land of Israel,” and that the University was “controlled by wealthy Jews.” Two Jewish conference attendees filed a complaint about her comments with the Anti-Defamation League. Michigan hired Covington and Burlington LLP to investigate the allegations.
Dawson asserts that the complaint against her was false and exaggerated. She said that two people approached her at the conference to discuss rumors of antisemitism on campus and asked for her views on Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. They did not like her response that Palestinians have a right to live in the region. They allegedly responded by berating her and asking her questions about the history of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Dawson submitted a written statement before a disciplinary review meeting asserting that the University was subjecting her to differential treatment. She said that non-Black faculty members received similar complaints, but the University did not hire outside investigators or terminate them. Dawson believes she was singled out because she is a Black woman, highlighting how the school referred to her conduct as “aggressive” and “abusive,” stereotypes often associated with Black women. Dawson also plans to file a state lawsuit, claiming that Michigan violated her free speech and due process rights.
Covington and Burlington could not determine whether Dawson made the alleged remarks because there were no recordings or other witnesses to the conversation. However, the law firm stated that the “weight of available evidence supports A.D.L. Michigan’s report.” The University of Michigan told the New York Times that Dawson was “appropriately terminated from her employment after she was found to have made antisemitic comments while representing the university.” The university plans to “vigorously defend” the lawsuits.