What to KnowCornell College has canceled a efficiency by R&B star Kehlani after complaints to the Ivy League college’s president that she expressed antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiments.Kehlani was scheduled to carry out subsequent month because the headliner at an annual celebration on the upstate New York college known as Slope DayKehlani has used their place to publicly help Palestinians. She sings in entrance of a Palestinian flag within the “Next 2 U” music video, which options the phrase “long live the intifada” at its begin. Intifada, an Arabic phrase for “uprising” or “resistance,” is seen by some as a name for violence in opposition to Jews.
Cornell College has canceled a efficiency by R&B star Kehlani after complaints to the Ivy League college’s president that she expressed antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiments.
Kehlani was scheduled to carry out subsequent month because the headliner at an annual celebration on the upstate New York college known as Slope Day. However President Michael Kotlikoff mentioned Wednesday he was rescinding the invitation as a result of it has “injected division and discord” into the Might 7 occasion.
“In the days since Kehlani was announced, I have heard grave concerns from our community that many are angry, hurt, and confused that Slope Day would feature a performer who has espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media,” Kotlikoff wrote in an open letter. ”Whereas any artist has the fitting in our nation to precise hateful views, Slope Day is about uniting our neighborhood, not dividing it.”
Emails looking for remark have been despatched to Kehlani’s representatives.
Kehlani has used their place to publicly help Palestinians. She sings in entrance of a Palestinian flag within the “Next 2 U” music video, which options the phrase “long live the intifada” at its begin. Intifada, an Arabic phrase for “uprising” or “resistance,” is seen by some as a name for violence in opposition to Jews.
Cornell is among the many many U.S. universities attempting to navigate elevated campus tensions because the conflict in Gaza, coping with each pro-Palestinian demonstrations and accusations that antisemitism has been allowed to go unchecked. The Trump administration this month froze greater than $1 billion in federal funding for Cornell whereas the federal government investigates alleged civil rights violations.
Kotlikoff mentioned he conferred with occasion organizers and different college students earlier than dropping Kehlani.
“I understand that my decision will be celebrated by some and criticized by others,” Kotlikoff wrote. “I believe it is the right thing to do and the decision I must make to ensure community and safety at this high-profile event that reaches the entire campus.”
