By Rev. Dr. Edgar Rivera Colon (above), re-posted from social media

I will not be preparing to teach for the next academic year. I’m now an independent scholar. In fact, I’ve not taught at USC’s Keck School of Medicine since the spring semester of 2024. Apparently, while I taught my capstone class in the Narrative Medicine course (during which Palestine was never mentioned), someone was monitoring my social media and decided I was a militant anti-Zionist. They were correct.

Suddenly, two very smart and wonderful Jewish students were removed from my class without even a real explanation. I wish those students all the best. Also, all the part-time faculty who were teaching the required three-semester health justice class were fired (I was one of those faculty) because “the full-time” instructors were interested in teaching the course. This was complete nonsense.

The real problem was that a a Mexican and indigenous community member wore a “Free Palestine!” t-shirt and talked about the connection between land and good health here in East LA and Palestine. These comments upset a couple of white liberal Zionists and the administration went nuts.

In the spring semester, the director of the Narrative Medicine, a committed white liberal Zionist, decided to teach my capstone course again without a rational explanation. Then, my course on racism in medicine in the US, which always had all the Narrative Medicine grad students eager to register for, was devoid of students. What a coincidence!

Finally, I was told via email that “there was no more programming for me at USC”: what a well crafted euphemism for political repression. My official date of separation was June 30th. I guess I can date other people now.

In truth, I was fired because I and many of my lovely colleagues stood with the brave first and second year medical students who called bullshit on the USC medical school administrators.

To be honest, I’ve been thrown out of better dive bars and repressive countries than USC which I like to call the University of Settler Colonialism.

My head is neither bloody nor unbowed. I do fear for my beloved comrades and friends (you know who you are, my loves) who remain in the academy. You are in my prayers. Stay strong and fight the good fight in what Gramsci called the trenches of civil society. Don’t give up on your beautiful students. They need your wisdom and examples now more than ever.

I’ll see you in the streets. Que dicen los Nuyoricans? Pa’Lante! Siempre Pa’Lante!