Muslim-American activist Linda Sarsour will deliver the commencement address for the City University of New York School of Public Health on Thursday — a speech that has drawn early criticism from right-wing speakers and pundits.
The school’s selection of Sarsour — who was one of the primary organizers of the Women’s March on Washington — sparked protests outside the school last week. Critics have accused her of holding anti-Semitic views because of her statements on Islam and Middle Eastern politics, but Sarsour has denied the accusation.
“There’s a conflation between the critique of the state of Israel and their policies with anti-Semitism, which I think is really flawed and inaccurate,” Sarsour told TIME on Wednesday.
The graduation ceremony, which will be held at Harlem’s Apollo Theater, is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Watch it live here.
- Succession Was a Race to the Bottom, And Everybody Won
- What Erdoğan’s Victory Means for Turkey—and the World
- Why You Can't Remember That Taylor Swift Concert All Too Well
- How Four Trans Teens Threw the Prom of Their Dreams
- Why Turkey’s Longtime Leader Is an Electoral Powerhouse
- The Ancient Roots of Psychotherapy
- Drought Crisis Spurs U.S.-Mexico Collaboration
- Florence Pugh Might Just Save the Movie Star From Extinction
