Identity of Speakers
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Jessica Adams
Faculty/Staff
OtherLecturer in the School of Social Work at Indiana University Bloomington
Resources
Additional Information
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Incident Nature:
Classroom
Course Content
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Incident Political Orientation:
Not Clear -
Incident Responses:
Faculty sanctioned
University administration invoked formal speech code in response
State Campus Free Speech Act
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Incident Status:
No litigation
- Was Speech Code incident
Summary
In late September 2025, Jessica Adams, a lecturer in the School of Social Work at Indiana University Bloomington, showed her graduate class on diversity, human rights, and social justice a slide known as the “pyramid of white supremacy.” The graphic depicted a hierarchy of behaviors and attitudes, with overt acts such as lynching and hate crimes at the top, and more covert forms below, including slogans like Make America Great Again and the celebration of Columbus Day. The slide was intended to illustrate systemic racism and the range of ways white supremacy manifests in society.
A student objected to the use of the slide, arguing that it unlawfully equated certain political slogans and celebrations with violent acts. The student submitted a complaint to the School of Social Work, which was forwarded to the university administration. The complaint triggered a review under Indiana’s Senate Enrolled Act 202, enacted in 2024, which allows students or others to report instructors for allegedly failing to present multiple viewpoints or for including content deemed political.
On October 6, 2025, the university removed Adams from teaching that course and restricted her access to students and class materials while the investigation was ongoing. Guest instructors were assigned to continue the class, and students were notified of changes to assignments and grading procedures. The removal occurred before a determination had been made about whether the lecture violated the law.
Adams maintained that the graphic was widely used in academic contexts and directly relevant to the course material. She criticized the investigation process, noting that she was not permitted to have legal counsel present, was not given a full explanation of the complaint, and that university administrators served as both complainants and investigators. Students described the disruption as significant, with graded work left pending and uncertainty about how final grades would be determined.
