A pacesetter throughout the Black Lives Matter motion who as soon as accused Taylor Swift followers of being “barely racist” has discovered herself embroiled in controversy as soon as once more — slamming a brand new California invoice meant to forestall antisemitism in faculties in entrance of her Cal State classroom.
Prof. Melina Abdullah — who was instructing a category on Race, Activism, and Feelings — posted the video to YouTube in September the place she known as the invoice “horrible” and instructed her college students “these fools don’t even like Jewish folks.”
AB 715, signed into regulation by Governor Gavin Newsom in October, will take impact in January 2026 and creates an Antisemitism Prevention Coordinator throughout the Workplace of Civil Rights to fight antisemitism in Okay-12 public faculties.
Within the video, Abdullah claims the invoice has one other objective, to silence pro-Palestinian activism and criminalize instructing that criticizes Israel.
“The sorts of people who find themselves doing this, they’re the antisemites. They may give a rattling about antisemitism,” she stated. “Donald Trump doesn’t care about antisemitism. He’s an antisemite.”
“They’re utilizing this as a gap in order that instructing fact within the classroom turns into one thing that’s criminalized,” Abdullah stated within the video.
Abdullah describes this as the newest effort by the Trump administration to crack down on pupil protests. The invoice in query is a California state regulation, not a federal regulation.
Abdullah provides that every one her Jewish mates are in opposition to AB 715 and “they’re against the conflict in Gaza,” within the video she says, ” and you recognize they’re opposed actually— to Israel and the genocide that they’re finishing up.”
She goes on to say that the AB 715 invoice was written by “two Zionists” which can be funded by pro-Israel organizations.
“These fools don’t even like Jewish folks. Have you ever ever heard of an previous, white South Carolinian speaking about how a lot they love Jewish folks? No. However along with the American flag, they acquired the rattling Israeli flag,” she stated. “You’re imagined to not be working for Israel,” Abdullah states.
Abdullah went on to inspired her college students to foyer Gov. Newsom to veto the invoice earlier than he signed it into regulation again in October.
“Gavin Newsom needs to be president.” Abdullah defined. “Gavin Newsom’s a sexy man. And I like how he’s trolling Trump, despite the fact that I don’t agree with most of his stuff,” she stated.
“Elections usually are not free nor are they honest. He wants the help of unions. He wants the votes of individuals of shade. So we are able to foyer Gavin Newsom. We are able to push Gavin Newsom to veto 715,” Abdullah inspired her college students.
“Professor Melina Abdullah’s use of her classroom to mobilize college students in opposition to a modest invoice to battle antisemitism in Okay-12 school rooms just isn’t an remoted incident. It displays a broader sample wherein activist-educators with direct affect over ethnic research curricula all through the state — together with by way of their management of highly effective faculty-union committees and nationwide advocacy networks reminiscent of Black Lives Matter — are shaping tutorial frameworks round extremely politicized, exclusionary, and infrequently overtly antisemitic doctrines that focus on Jewish college students for hurt,” stated an announcement from Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, Director of AMCHA, a non-profit shaped to fight antisemitism.
Abdullah ran for vp in 2024 on the ticket of Cornel West, one other well-known political activist and social critic.
California State College stated it was being investigated by the Trump administration in September for alleged antisemitism on campus, in accordance with NBC Information.
These are the newest controversial remarks from Abdullah, who in 2024 posted that it is likely to be racist to be a Taylor Swift fan.
“Why do I really feel prefer it’s barely racist to be a Taylor Swift fan?” Melina Abdullah posted to X on Tremendous Bowl Sunday.
Abdullah, who describes herself as a co-founder of the unique Black Lives Matter motion and later launched her personal group, Black Lives Matter Grassroots, has been embroiled in a number of authorized battles in recent times.
She misplaced a authorized battle with Black Lives Matter International Community Basis and was ordered to pay roughly $100,000 in authorized charges to BLM chief Shalomyah Bowers in 2024.
An try to achieve Prof. Melina Abdullah and California State College was not instantly profitable.
