Cornell University, which had $1 billion in federal funds frozen by President Donald Trump earlier this month and is reportedly facing an investigation for its antisemitism, is now refusing to cancel a performance by an openly antisemitic performer at its end-of-year celebration.
R&B singer Kehlani, who released a video in 2024 that opened with “Long Live the Intifada” and featured a Palestinian flag in the background with dancers wearing keffiyahs and brandishing, also published a post on X in which she stated, “It’s f*** Israel, it’s f*** Zionism, and it’s also f*** a lot of y’all too.” In July 2024, she said at a performance, “Beyond an end to the ceasefire, we need an end to the occupation,” as the Cornell Daily Sun reported. Kehlani also “shared a map online that eliminates the state of Israel and refused to condemn Hamas for the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre,” the New York Post stated.
Kehlani “shared several X posts which stated, ‘Zionists are all evil.’ She continued her rant, claiming Zionists were the ‘scum of the earth’ and told them to ‘go to hell,’” stopantisemitism.org noted. “In additional Instagram stories, Kehlani falsely accused Israeli forces of beheading Palestinian babies and intentionally burning people alive.”
On April 10, it was publicly announced that Kehlani would headline Slope Day, the annual celebration after the end of classes on May 7. Later that week, Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff protested, “We found out about the social media of this performer roughly three weeks ago. It’s too late to secure another performer that will be acceptable or appropriate for Slope Day.”
“We also altered that contract to make it clear that if there are any political events at the performance, there is full forfeit of the whole compensation. We assured ourselves to the extent [possible] that this will be a successful event … without politics,” he added.
“In a sign of mounting backlash, members of the student group Cornellians for Israel have launched a petition and GoFundMe drive demanding that the school replace Kehlani with another performer — or they will boycott the event and select their own entertainer to headline a unifying counter-concert on the Ithaca campus,” The New York Post added.
Billboard reported in 2018 that Kehlani said in a series of tweets, “i’m queer, not bi, not straight. i’m attracted to women, men, REALLY attracted to queer men, non binary people, intersex people, trans people. lil poly pansexual papi hello good morning. does that answer your questions?”
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Cornell University, which had $1 billion in federal funds frozen by President Donald Trump earlier this month and is reportedly facing an investigation for its antisemitism, is now refusing to cancel a performance by an openly antisemitic performer at its end-of-year celebration.
R&B singer Kehlani, who released a video in 2024 that opened with “Long Live the Intifada” and featured a Palestinian flag in the background with dancers wearing keffiyahs and brandishing, also published a post on X in which she stated, “It’s f*** Israel, it’s f*** Zionism, and it’s also f*** a lot of y’all too.” In July 2024, she said at a performance, “Beyond an end to the ceasefire, we need an end to the occupation,” as the Cornell Daily Sun reported. Kehlani also “shared a map online that eliminates the state of Israel and refused to condemn Hamas for the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre,” the New York Post stated.
Kehlani “shared several X posts which stated, ‘Zionists are all evil.’ She continued her rant, claiming Zionists were the ‘scum of the earth’ and told them to ‘go to hell,’” stopantisemitism.org noted. “In additional Instagram stories, Kehlani falsely accused Israeli forces of beheading Palestinian babies and intentionally burning people alive.”
On April 10, it was publicly announced that Kehlani would headline Slope Day, the annual celebration after the end of classes on May 7. Later that week, Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff protested, “We found out about the social media of this performer roughly three weeks ago. It’s too late to secure another performer that will be acceptable or appropriate for Slope Day.”
“We also altered that contract to make it clear that if there are any political events at the performance, there is full forfeit of the whole compensation. We assured ourselves to the extent [possible] that this will be a successful event … without politics,” he added.
“In a sign of mounting backlash, members of the student group Cornellians for Israel have launched a petition and GoFundMe drive demanding that the school replace Kehlani with another performer — or they will boycott the event and select their own entertainer to headline a unifying counter-concert on the Ithaca campus,” The New York Post added.
Billboard reported in 2018 that Kehlani said in a series of tweets, “i’m queer, not bi, not straight. i’m attracted to women, men, REALLY attracted to queer men, non binary people, intersex people, trans people. lil poly pansexual papi hello good morning. does that answer your questions?”
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