TW: Suicide

A busy Committee on Racism included a new leading in its report at Business Meeting: Chinese Scientist Oppression. At the May 3, 2026 Meeting for Worship With a Concern for Business, Committee Clerk Julie Liang explained that she has been organizing with the Northwestern Graduate union, NUGW, to bring justice to Professor Jane Wu, PhD and implement protections for international and immigrant graduate workers. Dr. Wu was unfairly targeted by the federal government in a China Initiative-linked investigation due to her national origin and subsequently took her own life. A civil complaint filed by Dr. Wu’s estate alleges that a lack of support and antagonistic actions by Northwestern University led to her death. Julie and NGUW have helped organize the Scholars, not Spies Petition to demand Northwestern acknowledge its treatment of Dr. Wu and commit to actions that will support international students, such as not releasing student data to federal agencies and training staff on how to respond to immigration enforcement on campus. Julie will be sharing the petition with Friends, colleagues and organizations and is seeking endorsements to support the petition and its demands.

Dr. Wu was a pioneering Chinese-American neuroscientist who died by suicide on July 10, 2024 after Northwestern University abruptly shut down her laboratory, and escorted her in handcuffs from the premises. The forced closure of her lab followed the conclusion of a years-long administrative investigation into Dr. Wu by the NIH, which did not charge her with any wrongdoing. Dr. Wu’s estate is suing Northwestern, alleging it took punitive measures against Dr. Wu even after she was cleared of any wrongdoing in the investigation.