April 15, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS STATEMENT
CONTACT media@aprnetwork.org
Harvard’s decision comes as several colleges including Columbia University and University of Michigan have capitulated to the Trump administration’s demands to cut college DEI programs
April 15, 2025 –– Dr. Andrea Abrams, executive director of the Defending American Values Coalition, a member of the American Pride Rises Network, issued the following statement in response to Harvard University’s refusal to capitulate the Trump Administration’s demands to eliminate campus DEI programs.
“Right now, our nation’s colleges and universities are under attack by a small, loud and cynical group of politicians who are bullying higher education institutions into submission in a ploy to hoard opportunity for a select few. We applaud Harvard University for standing up for the fundamental American values of diversity, equity and inclusion amid baseless and false attacks designed to block pathways to success.
By freezing $2.2 billion in federal funding to Harvard, the Trump administration is directly threatening our nation’s progress — halting critical medical, scientific and technological research that stimulates our economy and saves lives to push a vindictive, fearmongering agenda.
At this moment in our nation’s history, it takes all of us working together to defend the dreams of students and our nation’s future. Institutions, organizations and companies that wish to protect our nation’s progress and maintain pathways to success for all communities must follow Harvard University’s example by standing firm in their commitment to DEI despite the Trump administration’s careless, chaotic and callous decisions. Capitulation only emboldens the behavior of self-serving activists and politicians who want to restrict access to the American Dream.”
About American Pride Rises:
American Pride Rises (APR) is an initiative committed to protecting pathways to the American Dream by fighting for a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive America for all.