Harvard Commencement Speech 2024 - Shruthi Kumar | Student Goes OFF SCRIPT | got STANDING OVATION

Student goes OFF SCRIPT at Harvard Commencement Speech got STANDING OVATION

‘Do You Hear Us’? : Indian-American Student Shruthi Kumar Slams Harvard Over Response to Gaza Protests

Indian-American student Shruthi Kumar criticized Harvard University during her graduation speech, deviating from the script to condemn the university's alleged punishment of student activists. Kumar, selected to speak at Harvard's graduation through a contest, titled her speech "The Power of Not Knowing" and used the platform to criticize Harvard's handling of activism. She highlighted 13 undergraduates who were not graduating due to campus protests, expressing disappointment in Harvard's intolerance for freedom of speech and civil disobedience. Kumar emphasized the importance of following one's passion and called out to Harvard, stating, "The students have spoken. The faculty have spoken. Harvard, do you hear us?" Her speech sheds light on ongoing issues of free speech and activism on college campuses.

Here is the full transcript of the speech;

This semester, our freedom of speech and our expressions of solidarity became punishable.

Leaving our graduations uncertain. 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.

I am deeply disappointed by the intolerance for freedom of speech and the right to civil disobedience on campus.

Over 1500 students had petitioned. Nearly 500 students, staff, and faculty had spoken up. All overwhelmingly against the unprecedented sanctions. As an American and as a Harvard graduate, for me what is happening on campus is about liberty. This is about civil rights and upholding democratic principles.

The students had spoken. The faculty had spoken. Harvard do you hear us?

We are in a moment of intense division and disagreement in our community over the events in Gaza.

I see pain, anxiety, and unrest across campus. But it's now, in a moment like this, that the power of not knowing becomes critical. Maybe we don't know what it's like to be ethnically targeted. Maybe we don't know what it's like to come face to face with violence and death. But we don't have to know.

Solidarity is not dependent on what we know. Because not knowing is an ethical stance - it creates space for empathy, humility, and a willingness to learn.

I choose to say I don't know, so I'm empowered to ask, to listen. I believe an important type of learning takes place, especially in moments of uncertainty when we lean into conversations without assuming we have all the answers.

Can we see the humanity in people we don't know?
Can we feel the pain of people with whom we disagree?

As we graduate, what we know, our material knowledge, may not matter so much anymore. The truth is, it's what we don't know and how we navigate it, that will set us apart moving forward.

Uncertainty is uncomfortable. But I encourage you to dive into the deep end of discomfort; engage with the nuances and bring with you a beginner's mind - an epic of not knowing.

Emily Dickinson had said, “not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.”

Thank you and congratulations!

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