Feder v. Emerson College

Summary

On April 1, 2025, Anna Feder, a longtime Emerson College employee and former curator of the Bright Lights film series, filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts Superior Court against Emerson College and several administrators. She alleged that the college retaliated against her for pro-Palestinian speech and activism by terminating her employment and barring her from campus during her final weeks. She asserted claims under Massachusetts civil rights law, Title VII, and other state and federal employment protections, including retaliation, discrimination based on political belief, and violations of academic freedom. Feder sought damages for lost wages, harm to her reputation, emotional distress, and future lost opportunities. The case was subsequently removed to federal court, where it remained active as Feder pursued discovery and preparation for potential trial.

Feder had worked at Emerson for 17 years, including 12 years as curator of the Bright Lights film series, which showcased documentaries addressing social and political issues. In 2023, she scheduled a screening of Israelism, a documentary by Jewish filmmakers examining changing Jewish attitudes toward Israel. Emerson raised concerns about the event, suggested postponing it, warned that it might draw public criticism, and indicated additional security would be necessary. Feder rescheduled the screening for February 2024, and the event proceeded to a full audience without incident. Around the same time, she participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and publicly criticized the college’s handling of Palestine-related speech.

In August 2024, Emerson announced budget cuts and program eliminations, including ending the Bright Lights series and formally terminating Feder’s employment, and she was barred from campus during her final weeks. Feder alleged that her termination was directly related to her activism and speech and that the college’s stated financial reasons were pretextual. Her complaint described communications with administrators regarding programming decisions, internal warnings about pro-Palestinian content, and restrictions placed on her approval of programming while she was still employed as evidence of retaliatory intent. After her termination, the Bright Lights website and social media accounts were removed. Emerson stated that the termination and program changes were part of broader budget cuts and program realignment, denied wrongdoing, and maintained that its decisions were unrelated to Feder’s political speech.

Feder had previously been involved in a 2021 gender-discrimination case at Emerson.