Leslie Harris, a historian specializing in American slavery and gender in the antebellum South, has leveraged her academic authority to whitewash terrorist violence and promote radical, anti-Israel rhetoric on and off campus. Rather than fostering critical thought or balanced analysis, Harris has become a vocal apologist for Hamas sympathizers, a proponent of anti-Jewish conspiracy theories, and an active participant in movements that excuse antisemitic violence.
Promoting BDS and Anti-Israel Agitation
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In August 2024, Harris signed the “Northwestern People’s Resolution”, a document:
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Explicitly supporting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.
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Accusing Israel of genocide based on disputed and politicized interpretations of international law.
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In April 2024, she also signed a letter expressing solidarity with student encampments, claiming they exposed Northwestern’s complicity in “aiding and abetting” Israel’s alleged crimes.
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Her posts often cite fringe sources and statements by radical figures like Rep. Rashida Tlaib, aiming to amplify claims that Israeli self-defense measures amount to “ethnic cleansing” or “genocide.”
Minimizing the October 7th Atrocities
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In December 2023, Harris shared and quoted an article that referred to Hamas’s mass murder, rape, and torture of Israeli civilians as “potential” war crimes.
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The article outrageously claimed that Israeli women raped and murdered by Hamas were being used as ‘propaganda’ to justify Israel’s response.
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Harris parroted this claim without qualification, helping spread a narrative that dehumanizes Jewish victims and deflects responsibility from Hamas terrorists.
Undermining Jewish Safety on Campus
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In March 2025, Harris organized a teach-in to oppose the Trump Administration’s Title VI directives—which were created to protect Jewish students from discrimination and violence.
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Instead of supporting those efforts, Harris reframed them as fascist overreach and claimed they were chilling “free speech.”
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On March 6, 2025, she spoke at a joint JVP/SJP event, defending the student encampments that had made many Jewish students feel unsafe, and blamed the administration for cracking down on what she saw as legitimate activism.
Elevating Extremist Movements
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Harris has repeatedly partnered with and spoken at events hosted by extremist student groups like Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP)—two organizations known for:
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Justifying terrorism under the guise of “resistance.”
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Harassing Jewish students and disrupting campus life.
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She portrays these organizations as champions of free expression while ignoring their documented role in spreading antisemitic hatred.
Why Leslie Harris Is Dangerous
- She minimizes terrorist atrocities while dehumanizing Jewish victims.
- She frames Title VI protections as fascist attacks on free speech.
- She empowers extremist groups and turns a blind eye to antisemitic harassment.
- She actively misinforms the academic community under the guise of “solidarity.”
Leslie Harris is not simply voicing political opinions—she is aiding a movement that defends terrorism, undermines federal civil rights protections, and endangers the safety of Jewish students at Northwestern. Her role as an educator demands accountability. Her actions demand exposure.
