The American Studies Association, the nation’s oldest and largest association devoted to the interdisciplinary study of American culture and history, announced on Monday that their membership has decided to participate in the world's oldest hatred: anti-Semitism. The group decided on an academic boycott of the Jewish State.

Needless to say, this is out and out discrimination, and unprecedented discrimination at that. As one opponent has observed: "In no other context does the ASA discriminate on the basis of national origin."

TruthRevolt asked volunteers to reach out to all of the schools that support the ASA financially and call on them to drop their support for the organization in protest of their actions against the only democracy in the Middle East. We began with the University of Alabama. Our TruthRevolt volunteers contacted Michael A. Bownes, the Secretary of the Board of Trustees, Executive Assistant to the Chancellor, and Deputy General Counsel for the University of Alabama.

One TruthRevolt volunteer has already contacted Mr. Bownes and received an answer:

Dear Mr. Bownes,

I am shocked and appalled that the American Studies Association has decided to participate in anti-Semitism. It is beyond understanding that you as an organization would discriminate on the basis of national origin. They have been chased from every nation in the world and now you want to join the world's oldest hatred. Do you do that with other people based on their national origin?

Mr. Bownes replied curtly:

I am shocked you participate in this ineffective form of harassment

The volunteer fired back:

So do you then think it is appropriate to harass Israel?

Mr. Bownes angrily responded:

Please provide one shred of evidence that supports your defamatory and inflammatory question. This is ridiculous. I am merely a Board Administrator who has no authority or vote and is unable to get anything done today due to hundreds of thoughtless boilerplate emails saying the same thing. This is not helpful it is harassment! You need to lay off the Kool-Aid.

After the volunteer questioned Bownes again why his University would continue to financially sponsor the ASA despite the Israeli boycott, Bownes replied:

I do not have any say in what the University of Alabama does and cannot even tell you whether they have anything to do with ASA. I do not even know what ASA is!

The University of Alabama, is, according to the ASA's Quarterly, a member of the ASA. On that note, we advised the volunteer to tell him to pass along the objections of the hundreds of people who are upset about the ASA to the Board of Trustees. We ask you, our readers, to participate.

Below is a list of all the institutional members of the ASA originally published at Legal Insurrection. If you know people who are trustees, donors, or other influentials at any of these schools please do not hesitate to contact them. Please forward TruthRevolt any response you receive to TruthRevolt ([email protected]).

Alberta Institute for American Studies
Bard Graduate Center
Boston College
Boston University
Brandeis University (Based on Boycott vote, they announced they will drop the ASA)
Brigham Young University
Brown University
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Long Beach
Carnegie-Mellon University
Centre for the Study of the United States
College of Staten Island, CUNY
College of William and Mary
Cornell University
Crystal Bridge Museum of American Art
CUNY Graduate Center, American Studies Certificate Program
DePaul University
Dickinson College
Eccles Centre for American Studies, The British Library
Emory University
Fordham University
Franklin College of Indiana
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Hamilton College
Harvard University
Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania
Indiana University
Kennesaw State University
Kenyon College
Lehigh University
The Long Island Museum
Michigan State University, English Department
Middlebury College
New York University
Northwestern University
Penn State University, Harrisburg (Based on Boycott vote, they announced they will drop the ASA)
Princeton University
Ramapo College
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
Rider University
Roger Williams University
Rowan College of New Jersey
Rutgers University, New Brunswick
Saint John Fisher College
Saint Louis University
Saint Olaf College
Skidmore College
Smith College
Sophia University
St. Francis College
Stanford University, American Studies Program
Stanford University, Green Library
Stetson University
Students At The Center
Temple University
Trinity College, Hartford, CT.
Tufts University
University of Alabama
University of California, San Diego
University of Delaware
University of Hawaii
University of Iowa
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
University of Minnesota
University of Mississippi
University of New Mexico
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame
University of Oklahoma Honors College
University of Southern California
University of Southern Mississippi
University of Texas, Austin
University of Texas, Dallas
University of Utah
University of Western Ontario
University of Wyoming
Vanderbilt University
Vassar
Washington State University
Washington University, St. Louis
Western Connecticut State University
Willamette University
Winterthur Program in Early American
Culture Youngstown State University