WHO IS MS. DAWSON?

Rachel Dawson is an educator, parent, and active community member. She was an employee at the University of Michigan since 2017, most recently as the Director of the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives (OAMI). Rachel is a beloved leader on campus with a strong history of supporting and advocating for students. She is admired by faculty, staff, and students across the university who know her for her keen sense of justice, dignity, and the honor with which she always conducted herself and her work.

WHAT HAPPENED TO RACHEL DAWSON?

In March 2024, two professors approached Rachel at a conference and began to question her about anti-Semitism at the University of Michigan. The professors took Rachel’s comments completely out of context, fabricated allegations that Ms. Dawson had made anti-Semitic statements, and filed a complaint with the ADL - Anti-Defamation League (a known biased, anti-Palestinian organization) and the university.  Instead of using its internal process to investigate complaints, UM hired an external law firm, Covington and Burling, which also represents the ADL, to investigate. The investigation acknowledged that “it is not possible to determine with certainty whether Ms. Dawson made the exact remarks attributed to her in the ADL Michigan letter” – but still took the word of the two professors over Rachel’s.

SO, WHY WAS MS. DAWSON TERMINATED?

According to university by-laws, the only personnel under the purview of the Board of Regents are the President and executive officers – but documents obtained by the New York Times reveal that Regent Mark Bernstein personally insisted Ms. Dawson be terminated.

On December 10th, Rachel was fired. News of the incident was covered by local, national and international news including the NYT, Fox News, Michigan Public Radio, The Telegraph, The Jerusalem Post, CNN, Channel 7 News, and Detroit local news. Rachel's colleagues and students were shocked and hurt by the news tarnishing the honored reputation of a colleague and mentor they all admire. Many fear Rachel is being targeted for her regular and consistent defense of students' rights to protest and speak freely. The University’s misguided decision to eliminate Rachel as Director of OAMI is a huge loss for our multicultural campus community.

HOW CAN WE HELP?

In addition to the legal expenses needed for Rachel to defend herself against these false and offensive accusations, Rachel has lost her salary and benefits.

Most difficult to reverse is all of the media coverage tarnishing Rachel's reputation that will impact her ability to find work in her field - a field in which she has been a respected leader for years. The media frenzy surrounding her case does not reflect the great community support for Rachel, nor the consistent equitable and just ethic with which she conducted herself and upheld her duties as Director of OAMI.    

This campaign has two objectives: 

1) To raise funds to support Rachel, and 

2) To demonstrate community regard and appreciation for Rachel's honorable work as Director of OAMI. 

To show our community support, how many people donate is even more important than how much is raised.   

If you want to be part of the community that protects those insisting on freedom, equity, and justice and join those standing up to powers that try to silence and erase, please contribute to support Rachel in any amount you are able - no amount is too small, and even anonymous donations are tallied.

Shared below are some examples of students' praise for Rachel:

• “Rachel is one of the few faculty at this university who is genuinely dedicated to uplifting students and ensuring they feel supported and valued. She consistently reached out, making sure we were in environments where we not only felt a sense of belonging but also had the opportunity to thrive. Her efforts quickly made her one of the first points of contact for any issues we had, whether they be related to our organization or just for us as individual students.”

• “Rachel’s dedication to supporting student organizations like ours has made a tangible difference, empowering us to grow as leaders and better serve our community. We are incredibly grateful for her continued guidance, encouragement, and presence, which truly reflects her commitment to student success and organizational development.”

• “I had talked to Rachel on two occasions. The first was last year at a meeting for a multicultural graduation committee. I was first surprised by her humility. She did not bombard us with information about who she was or what she did. Rather, she opened the floor for us to talk and discuss what we have been going through these past couple months. She made us feel heard. It was perhaps the first time a faculty member from the University had listened to our concerns and pain. The second time was a meeting with a student organization. She again opened the floor and listened to our concerns. She sympathized with our struggle on campus to fit in. She let us know that if we ever needed anything, that she was always willing to help.” 

• “Meeting Rachel for the first time, she took time to make me and other members of our board feel welcomed, safe, and comfortable. She did not hesitate to let us know our concerns were heard and presented herself in a knowledgeable and professional way. I feel that she truly embodies what the Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives is meant to represent.”

• “Rachel truly cares about students and goes out of her way to connect with them, making everyone feel seen and supported. Her actions show how much she believes in helping others and uplifting student voices.

• “Rachel from the OAMI office has been an incredible advocate, providing support, guidance, and resources to us. Her dedication to us has fostered inclusivity and empowerment within our organization and our executive board.”

• “Rachel has made my senior year particularly special because of her utmost dedication to the safety of the community. No other staff in all my years at this university has made me feel as welcome as Rachel does and I am extremely grateful.”