We are Harvard alumni standing up for academic freedom at Harvard and beyond
Higher education and academic freedom are under assault
Harvard’s bold and principled risk in standing up for a free democratic society has already inspired other universities to do the same.
We hope you are moved to join the Crimson Courage community and to help us in our urgent defense of our alma mater and higher education across the nation. Please also consider an unrestricted donation of any amount to Harvard to signal that you support the university.
Who We Are
Crimson Courage was founded by a group of alumni to support Harvard’s independence despite financial and other unconstitutional threats from the federal government. Now we are a growing, non-partisan community of alumni from all Harvard schools standing up for academic freedom and constitutional rights at Harvard and in higher education nationally. We are working to establish a coalition of alumni from colleges and universities across the nation to protect independent higher education from overreach by the federal government.
(Click here to learn more about the risks to Harvard research caused by the government’s funding freeze and the legal action Harvard has taken.)
Join Our Community
By joining the grassroots Crimson Courage community, you gain opportunities to:
Support Harvard’s freedom from government interference;
Endorse academic freedom and freedom of speech;
Oppose federal efforts to suppress voices, censor vital scholarship, and diminish the presence of varied populations and viewpoints;
Improve on-campus communication and mutual respect among people from different backgrounds;
Collaborate with other universities and organizations in advocacy for independent higher education nationally; and
Add your voice to the dialogue surrounding issues of academic independence across the nation.
Support Crimson Courage by joining our email list, volunteering, and/or donating.
Complete the form linked below to volunteer for Crimson Courage or complete only the required questions to join our email list.
Take Action
July 10 Letter on Shuttering Diversity Offices at FAS
On July 10, The Harvard Crimson reported that the diversity office at the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences (which includes Harvard College) had been “replaced” amid a “DEI purge”. Also shuttered were the Harvard College Women’s Center, Office for BGLTQ Student Life, and Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations. Crimson Courage sent a letter to President Alan Garber, The Harvard Corporation, and the Overseers stating our deep concerns about these capitulations to the unreasonable demands of the federal government. Please read our letter and, if you are moved, write your own as well.
June 27 Statement on the resignation of UVA President James E. Ryan
We at Crimson Courage are saddened and deeply concerned by the resignation of University of Virginia’s president James E. Ryan under coercive pressure from both the Department of Justice and the university’s own Board of Directors.
Dr. Ryan’s forced resignation is another step toward the control of higher education. It’s clear the federal administration will continue to use the leverage of funding to chill academic freedom, freedom of speech and institutional governance. Ryan’s resignation is a clarion call not only for Harvard, but for all universities to stand together against government interference and to fight for academic autonomy, free scientific inquiry and democracy in higher education.
An open letter to Harvard
On June 23, Crimson Courage sent a letter to the President and Fellows of Harvard University (President Garber, the Harvard Corporation and the Board of Overseers), the Harvard Alumni Association, and the Deans of all 12 Harvard schools urging them to resist compromising our values or integrity in any sort of deal with the federal government.
More than 12,000 Harvard Alumni Sign Historic Amicus Brief In Support Of Academic Freedom and Institutional Independence
The largest known alumni brief from a single university in American history unites Harvard alumni from all 50 states and around the world, with signatories from every graduating class from the Class of 1950 to the Class of 2025.
In a historic show of solidarity, more than 12,000 Harvard alumni from all 50 U.S. states and countries around the world have submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of Harvard in President and Fellows of Harvard College v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, now pending before Judge Allison Burroughs in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts. The lawsuit challenges the Trump Administration’s decision to withhold $2.2 billion in funding as part of its escalating and unlawful campaign of coercion and retaliation against Harvard (Harvard's legal complaint can be found here.).
The amicus brief—drafted by attorneys who are Harvard alumni—is an unprecedented instance of individual Harvard alumni taking legal action together, and includes alumni from all of Harvard’s degree-granting schools. Alumni - across generations, professions, political affiliations, geographies, and backgrounds - speak to their shared commitment to truth, service, academic independence and the central place of education in American life.
The amicus brief was open for signature by Harvard degree holders from any school or department in the university, irrespective of nationality or citizenship.
Although the deadline to sign the amicus brief for the court filing has passed, alumni can still sign to indicate support for Harvard’s legal case. Sign here.
Donate to Support Crimson Courage
Your financial support enables us to keep fighting for academic freedom at Harvard and across the country. Thank you for clicking below to make a tax-deductible donation to Crimson Courage.