On March 6th 2023, De Anza College voted out Dr. Tabia Lee, who was serving her dream job as Faculty Director for the Office of Equity, Social Justice, & Multicultural Education. Lee says, “they said they wanted a black person to do this job. Apparently, I am the wrong kind of black.”
Dr. Tabia Lee entertained a divergent viewpoint. She questioned an orthodoxy. The price? Her job.
We support Dr. Lee in advocating for her constitutional rights and civil liberties.
Dr. Lee's Story
In her first week at De Anza College, Lee was accused of “whitesplaining” as she tried to set a meeting agenda, and she was told that she was perpetuating “white supremacy” by valuing punctuality & engaging in strategic planning.
It seemed that her approach would not be allowed.
A lifelong educator, Lee says she has “always advocated multiple approaches in performing anti-racism work, which apparently from the get-go was perceived as a threat to what I now understand to be the critical social justice orthodoxy at De Anza…”
“Through my work, I try to create a place of acceptance for varying points of view, but clearly, they didn’t find that acceptable…As a result, my programs and seminars were all undermined and blocked from the college calendar; I was excluded from the Equity Action Council and I was marginalized by my own Dean—the one from whom I expected the most support.”
The people at De Anza, whom Dr. Lee looked to for support, have failed her. So she reached out to FAIR, and we are here to stand up for her rights.
Dr. Lee has filed a federal lawsuit against De Anza in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.
Dr. Lee is represented by FAIR network attorneys Michael Allen, of Allen Harris, PLLC, and Abby Moscatel of Blacktail Law, PLLC.
