Valedictorian speaks out after USC cancels graduation speech

controversial decision by leaders at the University of Southern California related to the debate raging on many US campuses over the war in Gaza the school says that it's canceling a planned graduation spe speech by its valid Victorian usna tusam due to safety concerns now it follows the online response to a pro Palestinian link that tusam posted on her Instagram account she spoke to Carter Evans USC betrayed me 21-year-old AA tabasam is about to graduate with a biomedical engineering degree at USC her minor resistance to genocide I used what I learned from USC to inform My World Views and when I speak on it I'm penalized for it by the very people who offered me that dream less than two weeks after being selected to speak as valedictorian at USC's commencement ceremony the school rescinded its invitation Provost Andrew Guzman says social media discussions relating to the selection of the valedictorian had taken on an alarming tenor and have escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security did you receive any threats I personally haven't received any physical threats which I'm very very grateful for but I won't discount the amount of hatred that I've been seeing online tusam is pro Palestinian and says her social media accounts have always been private but critics point to a link in her public Instagram profile to a website they believe promotes anti-semitic rhetoric I'm not apologizing for the link that I put in my Instagram what I am saying is that I'm committed to Human Rights and I'm committed to the human rights for all people a lot of the campaign against me has been for example claiming that I don't value the life of Jews that's simply not true USC maintains its decision to eliminate the valid dictorian speech this year is based on safety for tusam and the 65,000 expected attendees saying there is no free speech entitlement to speak at a commencement they say this is not an issue of free speech maybe in it's most technical terms it's not an issue of Free Speech but I think it's expression it's academic discourse and in many ways it is speech that is being stifled for CBS mornings I'm Carter revitz in Los Angeles I mean it sounds like USC really stepped in it here right they they're using by the decision they they're claiming safety without any details it sounds like they're actually maybe having some second thoughts about selecting her out of the range of valedictorians they could have picked in the first place and there's a bigger question here a bigger debate about what's acceptable public speech and for a lot of Jews a lot of Israelis you know calling for the complete abolishment of Israel and saying that you're a settler or a colonialist in a land you've had and claimed as your Homeland since Biblical times that's over the line and where that line is is something that we in the public and at universities in particular have not sorted out but you know what stuck out to me when she said I'm committed to the human rights for all people for all people I mean I think this is the microcosm of everything that is happening on college campuses and in this country and others around the world this debate that people are having the decision now rests with the University president Carol fult we've asked her uh about that decision she has not yet commented right final decision is with her something tells me this conversation will continue but not right now not right here

Channel: CBS News

Views: 33,320

Keywords: video, cbs, news, usc, valedictorian, speech, safety, palestine, protest, universith of southern california, campus, gaza, israel, war, graduation speech, asna tabassum

Id: fsrWEDNtlr8

Length: 3min 27sec (207 seconds)

Published: Wed Apr 17 2024