Students Share Fears for Affinity Groups Under Trump at AFRO Town Hall

Roughly a dozen students expressed concern about the future of Harvard affinity groups amid Trump administration threats to diversity programming at a town hall hosted by the African and African American Resistance Organization Thursday evening.

The event was held to discuss the U.S. Department of Education’s Dear Colleague letter earlier this month directing federally-funded universities to end all race-based decision-making by Feb. 28.

The education department letter, written by the Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig W. Trainor, threatened to revoke federal funding for institutions that treat “students differently on the basis of race” including using “non-racial information as a proxy for race.” Trainor argued such policies or programs are not compliant with the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling that struck down affirmative action.

During the group discussion, attendees and members of AFRO, an unrecognized student group on campus, expressed concerns that affinity groups on Harvard’s campus may be shut down in the wake of the department’s letter.

“They’re definitely coming after our affinity spaces, and we have so many here at Harvard that make people feel welcome,” said Sophia E. Young ’28, a freshman representative of the Generational African American Students Association.

“It’s really important to have this conversation to first digest this letter that came out and also think about possible courses of action moving forward,” she added.

According to the education department letter, institutions must eliminate race-based decision making in “admissions, hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.”

The letter is the latest in a series of Trump administration efforts to end diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in federal agencies and federally funded institutions. The day after his inauguration, Trump directed universities to terminate any race or gender-based diversity programs, although the order was temporarily blocked by a judge.

Chloe C. McKain ’27, who attended the forum, said the policies could be broadly interpreted to significantly affect the landscape of affinity spaces and student organizations on campus.

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion are seen as bad words now,” McKain said.

McKain said she could not rule out the possibility that universities and the government would “go so far as to say ‘Oh yeah, seven black students meeting together is now not allowed.’”

“How are they going to define our affinity spaces? And how are they going to define student organizations?” she added.

A University spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday evening. In a previous statement to The Crimson, a spokesperson wrote that Harvard is “committed to ensuring our campus is an environment where everyone can thrive and that there are programs, policies, and resources in place to achieve this.”

“To nurture free expression and academic freedom, Harvard students, faculty, and staff must be able to engage in discourse and learning without facing harassment, discrimination, or bias,” they wrote. “The University is reviewing the U.S. Department of Education’s Dear Colleague Letter and will continue to ensure we comply with the law.”

At the Thursday event, Mia Montrose ’26 said she wished Harvard would provide clarity on how Trump’s orders against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs may impact students at Harvard.

“Harvard really plays themselves as our friend,” Montrose said. “And now, when DEI is being attacked, they’re not really saying anything.”

“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” she added.

While top Harvard officials have issued multiple public statements about research funding, they have been quieter in response to threats against diversity programs.

In an interview last week, Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana said diversity has always been core part of Harvard’s values. And at the University’s annual Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Forum, Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 said diversity was important for maintaining academic excellence.

“Exposure to different backgrounds, different perspectives, different experiences, leads to intellectual and personal growth,” Garber said on Tuesday.

Attendees of the town hall said student groups like AFRO will play an important role in organizing a student response to the White House’s threats.

“Fighting back against this institution to make sure they don’t just allow the Trump agendas to just steamroll over our communities — that’s gonna be our role,” said Kojo Acheampong ’26, a co-founder of AFRO.

—Staff writer Samuel A. Church can be reached at samuel.church@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @samuelachurch.

—Staff writer Cam N. Srivastava can be reached at cam.srivastava@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @camsrivastava.