Al Sharpton says ousted Harvard chief was ‘scapegoat’ in fight against diversity

The Rev Al Sharpton speaks to the media during a protest outside the office of the hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who has ‘declared war on DEI’. Photograph: Frank Franklin II/AP

The civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton hosted a protest outside the office of the Harvard alumnus Bill Ackman on Thursday after Ackman criticized diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at Harvard following the resignation of the former university president Claudine Gay.

“[Ackman] declared war on DEI. He declared war on affirmative action. He’s defining himself as a rightwinger in terms of dealing with racial equality,” Sharpton told the Guardian during the protest alongside his organization, National Action Network, outside Ackman’s office in New York City.