Who Is Celia Naylor?
Celia Naylor is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Africana Studies and History at Barnard College, part of the Columbia University academic ecosystem that has been under intense scrutiny over antisemitism complaints and campus protest activity. And beyond the classroom, Naylor has also appeared in a number of faculty-led efforts pushing back against university attempts to address antisemitism tied to the Israel–Hamas war and campus protests.
Authorities are taking note of campus climate. In fact, during a Title VII investigation into antisemitism complaints, Celia Naylor confirmed that many Barnard faculty had received text messages from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after the college reportedly shared faculty contact information with investigators. One can only wonder how far educators can push their own biases before federal consequences come.
How Has Celia Naylor Taken Part in Faculty Activism?
Celia Naylor has repeatedly showed herself in support of faculty campaigns defending pro-Palestinian activism and criticizing university responses to antisemitism concerns.
- May 2025 – in an open letter from Jewish Columbia and Barnard faculty signed by Naylor, the university’s Antisemitism Task Force report was criticized, arguing it conflated anti-Zionism with antisemitism, ignored the context of Gaza, and created what signatories described as a “politicized, one-sided narrative” that threatened academic freedom.
- September 2024 – Naylor helped lead a faculty teach-in protesting Barnard’s updated “Community Conduct” policies, calling it the university’s “undemocratic undoing.”
- May 2024 – she participated in an anti-Israel ceremony organized by “The People’s Grad for Palestine,” an activist event held alongside Columbia’s graduation season highlighting pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus. Additional presenters included Vijay Iyer and Noura Erakat.
- October 2023 – she signed “An Open Letter from Columbia University and Barnard College Faculty in Defense of Robust Debate About the History and Meaning of the War in Israel/Gaza,” which stated that “peace and safety for all the peoples of Israel and Palestine will remain elusive unless and until the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory ends.” The letter was also signed by Rashid Khalidi, who resigned from Columbia in 2025 in protest of the university’s handling of antisemitism.
Conclusion: How Does Celia Naylor’s Bias Affect Barnard’s Campus?
Celia Naylor’s public record places her among a group of Columbia and Barnard faculty who have actively pushed back against administrative efforts to address antisemitism complaints tied to campus protests. From faculty letters to protest-adjacent events, Naylor has aligned herself with this pushback all while the university faces federal scrutiny over violations of Title VI laws, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity that received federal funding. For Barnard students and administrators, the involvement of professors like Celia Naylor in political organizing raises ongoing questions about how those laws may be being broken.
