USC Valedictorian Asna Tabassum Issues Statement Following Commencement Speech Ban

Asna Tabassum, the valedictorian of the University of Southern California's Class of 2024, has released a written statement after being barred from delivering her speech at the university’s main commencement ceremony. The speech was published by Annenberg Media and the Daily Trojan, USC's student-run newspaper. In her opening remarks, Tabassum expressed gratitude and honor before the text transitioned into ten redacted paragraphs, reflecting the controversy surrounding her situation.

The decision to remove Tabassum from the commencement agenda followed complaints from Israeli groups who argued that her. . .