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.)

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.

Take Action

Sign the Amicus Brief

The brief will be filed in support of Harvard, in its lawsuit challenging the U.S. government's unlawful attempt to assert control over certain core functions at Harvard by withholding more than $2.2 billion in federal grants for research and related programs. Harvard's lawsuit was filed in federal district court in Massachusetts (Harvard's legal complaint can be found here.) This brief is a powerful way to register your views on the government's campaign against Harvard. 

The draft of the amicus brief to be filed by Harvard alumni can be reviewed HERE.


Please note that we will be making a few additions to this draft broadly describing the alumni signatories to the brief. Your signatures will be included in an appendix to the brief.

This amicus brief will help to inform the court of our perspective and interest, as Harvard alumni, in the broader impact of the Government's attacks on academic freedom and constitutional rights at Harvard. The brief focuses on the issues before the court in this case, and at this stage in the proceedings.

The amicus brief was drafted by attorneys who have legal expertise relevant to the case and are alumni of Harvard. Alumni organizations, including Crimson Courage and Alumni for Democracy (a project of Democracy House), are assisting with communications and outreach. The amicus brief is only open for signature by Harvard degree holders, who may be from any school or department in the university.

Join us at a panel on Alumni Day

We will be hosting an Alumni Day panel about Crimson Courage on Friday, June 6 at 3:00 pm ET at Washburn Auditorium, Lesley College Brattle/South Campus, 10 Phillips Place, Cambridge. Please use this form to register for the panel if you’ll be in Cambridge, and please pass the information along to your community of Harvard alums.

Watch our webinar!

  • “Harvard University has 400,000 alumni from a wide range of intellectual disciplines. Collectively, we have the ability to make a profound impact both at Harvard and beyond at this pivotal moment in our history. Supporting Harvard is just one step in the democratic renewal urgently needed in the United States and beyond.”

    – Hunter Maats, A.B. Harvard 2004, co-founder of Crimson Courage

  • “Our commitment to living by the Harvard motto ‘veritas’ does not stop when we complete our studies. The attacks on Harvard University and institutions of higher education across the country mirror the moves we see in authoritarian regimes that seek to suppress knowledge and independent thought. These attempts to erode the academic independence of universities across the country is part of a larger, systemic attack on our democracy. As alumni, we must organize together to support Harvard in its effort to stand up as a pillar of democracy, freedom, and truth.”

    - Jessica Tang, ‘04 HGSE ‘06, co-founder of Crimson Courage

  • “I see the current moment as an unprecedented opportunity for Harvard College alumni to inspire Harvard to fulfill the College’s mission of educating the citizens and citizen-leaders of our society through their commitment to the transformative power of a liberal arts and sciences education. I believe Harvard cannot fulfill its mission of transformation without courage from its alumni, faculty, staff, and community.”

    - Dr. Christina Jenq '04, co-founder of Crimson Courage

  • “We must all stand up against this Administration’s attacks on Harvard, higher education, freedom, the rule of law, and democracy. The mission of Harvard College is to inspire “every member of our community to strive toward a more just, fair, and promising world”. As alumni, we must fight in support of Harvard’s mission; we must strive toward a more just, fair, and promising world; and we must rally together in support of Veritas, the pursuit of truth, knowledge, and the illumination of darkness with the light.”

    - Allison Rogers ’04, co-founder of Crimson Courage

  • “Volunteering for Crimson Courage gives me hope that my voice can help save independent higher education from unconstitutional overreach.”

    - Lisa Paige Harvard AB ‘80

  • “The assault on Harvard is a declaration of war on academic freedom, higher education, innovation, scientific discovery, and other values at the heart of a free and thriving society. This fight is about Harvard, but our culture and democracy are equally at stake.”

    - Suzanne Nossel AB 91 JD 96

  • “As a proud Harvard alum and Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist, I support President Garber because I believe that true innovation is driven by the diversity of thought, background, and expertise. Harvard’s strength has always come from bringing together people with different perspectives and life experiences to expand the limits of our knowledge. Throughout history, Harvard has been a driver of paradigmatic shifts—from the development of the smallpox and polio vaccines and groundbreaking work in genetics, to advances in global health and maternal care that save lives every day. If you or your loved ones have ever had a PAP smear, MRI or an EKG, you have benefitted directly from work pioneered at Harvard.  I challenge all of you to learn more about Harvard’s profound contributions to the success and well-being of our country—and to each of us individually.”

    - Diana Rodriguez Harvard-Radcliffe ’89, HMS/HSPH ’94)