Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government announced Friday the school has pulled a visiting fellowship it had offered to convicted felon and trans activist Chelsea Manning following widespread public backlash.
Harvard Kennedy School Dean Douglas Elmendorf said in a statement issued Friday that it was a “mistake” for the school to have ever offered Manning the fellowship in the first place.
"We invited Chelsea Manning because the Kennedy School’s longstanding approach to visiting speakers is to invite some people who have significantly influenced events in the world even if they do not share our values and even if their actions or words are abhorrent to some members of our community," Elmendorf said. "We do this not to endorse those actions or legitimize those words, but because engaging with people with fundamentally different worldviews can help us to become better public leaders.
“However, I now think that designating Chelsea Manning as a Visiting Fellow was a mistake, for which I accept responsibility,” he added.
Harvard’s hasty backtracking comes after CIA Director Mike Pompeo canceled his upcoming appearance at the school in protest of Manning’s visiting fellowship. Former CIA leader Michael Morell resigned from Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs over the issue.
Elmendorf added that Manning will still be invited to spend a day on campus speaking to students and answering questions, but will no longer be considered a “Visiting Fellow.”
“We are withdrawing the invitation to her to serve as a Visiting Fellow—and the perceived honor that it implies to some people—while maintaining the invitation for her to spend a day at the Kennedy School and speak in the Forum,” Elmendorf explained. “I apologize to her and to the many concerned people from whom I have heard today for not recognizing upfront the full implications of our original invitation.”
Manning, who spent seven years in prison for leaking classified U.S. military documents before his sentence was commuted by President Obama, said on Twitter that he’s “honored” to have been disinvited by the school.
honored to be 1st disinvited trans woman visiting @harvard fellow 😌 they chill marginalized voices under @cia pressure 😎🌈💕 #WeGotThis https://t.co/7ViF3GaSec
— Chelsea E. Manning (@xychelsea) September 15, 2017