84. The Cornell 7: A Familiar Failure

When a Cornell student known as Jane Doe came forward alleging she was assaulted by seven fellow students, the "Cornell Seven", it ignited a national firestorm. It also resurfaced an old pattern of institutional betrayal that universities, police, and the legal system have repeated for decades when women report sexual abuse. In this episode, host Kimberlé Crenshaw is joined by philosopher Kate Manne and journalist Kirsten West Savali to examine the Cornell case alongside that of Kendall Francis, a Black student at LSU whose story received a fraction of the attention. Together, they trace the through line from Anita Hill to Tarana Burke, interrogate the "bro code" and himpathy that shield perpetrators, and ask why the public still struggles to side with the most vulnerable. This episode includes clips from: - Mickey Atkins - CBC News - ABC News and ABC News - Kendall Francis via Jess Francis 101 Music by Blue Dot Sessions Host Kimberlé Crenshaw Sr. Producer Nicole Edwards Associate Producer Aniah Francis Cover Art Ashley Julien Research from The African American Policy Forum Connect with us: - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate to our show⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Follow the podcast on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - Order Kimberlé Crenshaw's book, ⁠⁠⁠⁠Backtalker: An American Memoir⁠⁠⁠