Cornell University sees backlash over Slope Day headliner’s views

Last year, Kehlani Parrish released a music video for her song, “Next 2 U.” A quote by a Palestinian-American poet appears onscreen at the beginning and is followed by the words, “Long live the Intifada.” Jordan Strauss/AP file/Invision/

StopAntisemitism, an organization that says it exposes people who engage in antisemitic behavior, and the president of Cornell University’s Jewish center, have criticized the school’s decision to host a concert by R&B singer Kehlani Parrish.

The New York Post reported that StopAntisemitism founder and Executive Director Liora Rez and Chabad Cornell President Amanda Silberstein expressed concern with the school for inviting Parrish, who has at times expressed support for Palestine, to the Slope Day festival.

Rez, calling Parrish a “vile Jew hater,” suggested Cornell and other schools that enable violent extremism, bigotry and harassment be “fully defunded,” investigated for “foreign funding” and have their endowments, income and real estate taxed, according to the New York Post.

The StopAntisemitism director reportedly said Parrish uses her platform to incite hate against Israel and calls for another Intifada, or a Palestinian uprising.

“Black students wouldn’t be expected to welcome a KKK rock band on campus. Asian students weren’t told, ‘Asian hate Get over it,’ ” Rez was quoted as saying. “So why are Jewish students treated as the exception?”

Silberstein said the invite from Cornell, a school saying it values inclusion and safety for all students, is “not just tone-deaf — it’s profoundly alienating,” the New York Post reported.

“By inviting someone with such a deeply troubling history of antisemitism to headline one of our most high-profile campus events, Cornell is sending a message that Jewish safety and wellbeing are negotiable,” Silberstein added, according to the newspaper.

Last year, Parrish released a music video for her song, “Next 2 U.” A quote by a Palestinian-American poet appears onscreen at the beginning and is followed by the words, “Long live the Intifada.” Parrish is later seen performing in front of a Palestinian flag, while other dancers wave them at another point in the video. The singer has also expressed support on social media for Palestinians.

The Trump administration in early April froze $1 billion in federal funding to Cornell over whether university officials failed to prevent antisemitic discrimination and harassment on campus.

Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said the school wasn’t aware of Kehlani’s anti-Israel stance until about three weeks ago, the Post reported. Kotlikoff told the Cornell Student Assembly it was “too late” to switch to another performer for the May 7 event, according to the Post.

In a statement, Cornell said Parrish’s personal views do not represent the school.

“However, the artist must uphold Cornell’s anti-discrimination policies, which includes prohibition of political expression as part of the concert,” the spokesperson noted, according to the Post. “Failure to do so constitutes breach of contract and will result in loss of payment.”

A student planning board for Slope Day selected Parrish based on a poll, the spokesperson said. According to a school news release, multi-Grammy Award-nominated Parrish would be the first female artist to headline the event in 16 years.

“Kehlani was chosen based on her popularity and the genre of her music. She recently performed at Northeastern University without political expression or incident,” the spokesperson said, according to the Post.

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