Fresno State professor Jarrar, who detests Bush family, bows out of public appearance
Controversial Fresno State professor Randa Jarrar has bowed out of a scheduled public appearance, a day after she boisterously celebrated the death of former first lady Barbara Bush on social media.
Jarrar was scheduled to be the headline speaker at Saturday's LitHop 2018 at Fresno City College but organizers said the professor notified them Wednesday that she will not attend.
LitHop was founded in 2016 by Fresno poet Lee Herrick. In its first two years, the one-day literary festival featured headliners Juan Felipe Herrera and Gary Soto, both well-known Fresno authors.
Jarrar has received several threats online after she went on Twitter to bash the Bush family while reveling in Bush’s death Tuesday.
It is unclear if the online threats factored in Jarrar’s decision to pull out of the event.
A statement released by Fresno City College says campus and LitHop 2018 organizers support Jarrar's decision to withdraw, alluding to safety concerns.
“The safety of each individual, including Jarrar’s, and all members of the LitHop and Fresno City College community is our paramount concern,” the release says.
The statement includes language distancing both Fresno City College and LitHop from Jarrar and her comments, offering condolences to the Bush family “as we join the rest of our country in mourning the loss of our former First Lady.”
“While we respect the right to free speech, even objectionable speech, Jarrar’s statements are her own and do not reflect the values of LitHop or Fresno City College,” the release says. “We acknowledge the severity of her statements and take very seriously the concerns expressed throughout the community.”
Jarrar, according to her bio on Fresno State’s website, is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, essayist and translator.
She grew up in Kuwait and Egypt, and she moved to the U.S. after the Gulf War. She identified herself on social media as an Arab-American and a Muslim-American woman
Jarrar received the 2014 Lannan Residency Program fellowship award, which is given for excellence in poetry writing, essays and scholarly articles as well as social justice activism.
LitHop 2018 will continue as scheduled, with a different headline reader to be announced.
Organizers said anyone wanting more information regarding LitHop 2018 may contact Herrick at lee.herrick@fresnocitycollege.edu.
This story was originally published April 18, 2018 at 6:14 PM with the headline "Fresno State professor Jarrar, who detests Bush family, bows out of public appearance."