November 25, 2025
She Gave a Lecture on White Supremacy. IU Removed Her From the Class.
By Nic Wong
Jessica Adams was barred from teaching a course on social justice for six weeks after showing a graphic that listed MAGA and Columbus Day as forms of “covert white supremacy.”
In September, Jessica Adams showed her “Diversity, Human Rights, and Social Justice” class at Indiana University a graphic that listed Make America Great Again and Columbus Day as forms of “covert white supremacy.” A student complained about the lecture to the office of US Senator Jim Banks, who brought the concern to the dean of the IU School of Social Work, and administrators launched an investigation into the incident.
During the lecture on white supremacy, Adams didn’t talk about the term “Make America Great Again,” and none of the students voiced objections in person, according to a student who attended the lecture. During the next class, Adams reportedly told students that if they ever had a disagreement, they were welcome to talk to her about it—either openly or in private. Then she split students into groups, and they spent the rest of the time discussing a reading assignment.
The next class was scheduled to cover immigration, but Adams didn’t show up. Instead, a different professor arrived and presented a guest lecture on her prior research, which was about children with autism. Starting October 6, Adams was barred from teaching the course.
