A conservative news website reported Tuesday on a complaint that accuses Harvard’s chief diversity and inclusion officer of plagiarism, in a campaign similar to the one that led to Claudine Gay’s ouster.
The Washington Free Beacon published the complaint filed Monday by an unnamed source accusing Sherri Charleston of 40 instances of plagiarism in her 2009 Ph.D. dissertation and in a 2014 peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Negro Education. Much of the scrutinized language in the 343-page dissertation appears to be background information, including basic facts like names, dates, numbers and descriptions, including historical events.
The unnamed accuser alleges that Charleston failed to give “proper attribution” to several authors, and the Free Beacon alleges that Charleston took credit for her husband’s work in the 2014 study. Her husband, LaVar Charleston, co-authored the 2014 study and his previous research is cited throughout.
When asked why the Free Beacon also decided to analyze Charleston’s work, and whether the report was part of a broader attack on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, reporter Aaron Sibarium told NBC News in an email, “We stand by our reporting.”
A Harvard spokesperson, Jason Newton, would neither confirm nor deny any investigation into the claims of plagiarism, but appeared to support Charleston in an emailed statement to NBC News.
“Harvard is a community that embraces diversity in backgrounds, experiences and perspectives,” the statement reads. “Through her leadership as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Sherri Ann Charleston has advanced our belief that everyone who comes to Harvard belongs at Harvard and, whether a student, faculty, staff member or researcher, should have the opportunity to succeed.”
Charleston and her husband did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“The people behind these attacks have no interest in plagiarism,” said Erica Foldy, a professor at New York…
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