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‘I Am Not Antisemitic’: Kehlani Speaks Out After University Rescinds Invitation to Headline Slope Day
Cornell revoked Kehlani’s invitation to headline Slope Day over what President Michael Kotlikoff labeled “antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments.” A few days after the April 23 announcement, the R&B singer rebuked Kotlikoff’s classification. “I am not antisemitic, nor anti-Jew,” Kehlani said in a video posted to her Instagram on Saturday. “I am anti-genocide. I am anti the actions of the Israeli government, I am anti the extermination of an entire people, I am anti the bombing of innocent children, men, women — that’s what I’m anti.” This is not the first time she has faced criticism for her beliefs. “This keeps coming up as a means to silence me, as a means…
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GALPERIN | Slope Day’s Real Problem
When the Slope Day Programming Board announced Kehlani as this year’s headliner, the reaction on campus was swift: Nearly everyone I spoke to seemed to agree that Kehlani was a poor choice. Some students pointed out that she isn’t as high-profile as previous headliners, such as Kendrick Lamar and Drake. Others have felt that her music doesn’t fit the typical energy of Slope Day. But beyond the debates over genre and star power lay a deeper, more disturbing issue — one that goes far beyond music and raises serious questions about how this decision was made in the first place. Kehlani is an antisemite, plain and simple. That is not…
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR | Cornell Chose Comfort Over Courage on Slope Day
Back in 2016, as vice president of the Cornell Republicans, I sat across a long table from university police, mapping security and exit routes so former Senator Rick Santorum could take questions in Statler Auditorium. Plenty of students viscerally opposed him; many demanded we cancel the event outright. We insisted that he speak, believing then, as I do now, that exposure to challenging viewpoints is essential to education. The show went on. Cornell has now made a different choice in scratching Kehlani from the Slope Day lineup. The administration chose perceived comfort over the principle of free expression. Yes, a celebratory concert is different from a political Q&A, but the…
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How the Money Moves: Funding a New Headliner Two Weeks Before Slope Day
After President Michael Kotlikoff rescinded Kehlani’s invitation as Slope Day headliner two weeks before the concert, the administration is now seeking to find and fund a new headliner, according to the email announcement. Kotlikoff’s announcement to remove the slope day headliner follows student and parent dissatisfaction regarding Kehlani’s anti-Israel rhetoric on social media. In a meeting with concerned students on Tuesday about Slope Day before the announcement, Kotlikoff was asked about whether or not the University would consider changing headlining artists. To this, he noted the “practical issue” with selecting another artist — the lack of time until Slope Day, which is set to take place on May 7. “We…
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Cornellians for Israel Petitions Against Slope Day Headliner Kehlani
Cornellians for Israel launched a petition against the selection of Kehlani as this year’s Slope Day headliner, stating that the use of “her platform to publicly call for the ‘intifada’ and to ‘dismantle Israel’” makes Jewish students feel unsafe. The petition, which has reached over 5,200 signatures in four days, calls on the University to create “an alternative experience.” Kehlani was announced as the Slope Day headliner on April 10 and since then has faced backlash. Addressing the Student Assembly on Thursday, President Michael Kotlikoff criticized Kehlani’s Slope Day headline but said that it was “too late to secure another performer.” The petition expressed Jewish students’ anger and safety concerns…
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Kotlikoff Rebuts Kehlani’s Slope Day Headline: ‘It’s Too Late To Secure Another Performer’
After the April 10 announcement that Kehlani was selected to headline Slope Day, President Michael Kotlikoff responded to mounting concerns at the Thursday Student Assembly meeting by stating, “It’s too late to secure another performer.” The soulful R&B singer is set to perform on Slope Day, the annual campus-sponsored concert on Libe Slope after the last day of classes. In the week following the announcement, dissatisfaction has surfaced as students and parents have learned of the artists’ active political, specifically pro-Palestine, presence on social media. Kolitkoff shared steps the administration had already taken to limit the artists’ political impact on campus, including a clause in her contract. “We also altered…
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A Deep Dive into Slope Day Artists’ Impact
Come one, come all to witness this year’s Slope Day artists: headliner Kehlani and special guest Louis the Child! For most Cornellians, Slope Day is a time of celebration, when the dreary cold and academic stress melt away, giving rise to a vibrant renewal of springtime energy. It’s a day when the campus blooms with music, excitement and collective school pride that buzzes through the crowd. This year is no different. So, consider this your guide — an introduction to the cultural significance and artistic impact that each of our incoming performers bring to the hill. Kehlani Ashley Parrish was born on April 24, 1995, in Oakland, California. Her early…