Athenai Institute
the Chinese Communist Party is committing genocide. Our universities should not be tied to it.
Our Mission
Athenai is a non-partisan, student founded nonprofit devoted to educating American students, scholars and the public about the dangers posed by the genocidal, anti-democratic Chinese Communist Party’s influence on our college campuses, and about the tools universities can use to financially disentangle themselves from the CCP and its human rights abuses.
Universities Are a Battleground
The Chinese Communist Party has taken advantage of the openness of American academic institutions to undermine academic freedom and global opposition to its human rights abuses. American universities cannot retain their independence or educate their students about the Chinese regime’s threat to liberty around the world if they continue to be tied - through endowments, Confucius Institutes, and research partnerships - to the CCP.
Athenai is equipping the next generation of leaders with the tools they will need to recognize the CCP and its genocidal policies for what they are.
Athenai is Educating the Leaders of Tomorrow – and of Today.
Athenai’s programs have already taught a generaton of student leaders how they can stand up to the CCP on their campuses.
When we started Athenai, more than 80 universities hosted Confucius Institutes, proxies of the Chinese government that compromise academic freedom. Today, just seven remain.
Now, thanks to Athenai’s work, students in our 21 state chapters around the country are calling on their universities to divest from entities linked to the CCP, the Chinese government, and human rights abuses including the genocide and mass internment of Uyghurs. Today, one university has committed to divest from entities tied to the CCP’s human rights abuses, and multiple others are actively investigating their financial links to the CCP.
The Frank Wolf-Tony Hall Fellows Program
Named for retired members of Congress Frank R. Wolf (R-VA) and Tony P. Hall (D-OH), whose willingness to work across the aisle to advance human rights while in office embodied Athenai’s commitment to bipartisanship, the Frank Wolf-Tony Hall Fellows Program brings together eight civically engaged undergraduate leaders from around the country to serve as the vanguard of Athenai’s nationwide campaign to educate students, policymakers, and the public about the benefits of university financial disentanglement from the CCP and its genocidal policies.
learn more about THE FRANK WOLF-TONY HALL FELLOWS PROGRAM
Praise for Athenai's Washington Appeal
“In the fight for human rights, students are not simply the leaders of tomorrow, but of today. I’m proud of the efforts of the Athenai Institute and students from across the country to stand in solidarity with Joshua Wong, Demosisto, The Hong Kong Democracy Council, and all Hong Kongers.”
— Teng Biao, Chinese Dissident and Human Rights Lawyer
“We applaud the Athenai Institute's effort [to close] Confucius Institutes in the USA...Confucius Institutes funded by the Chinese government and carrying the CCP agenda have no place on American college campuses.”
— Dr. Yang Jianli, Athenai Board Member, Human Rights Activist, and Tiananmen Square Survivor
“The good news is that our strongest ally in promoting academic freedom over authoritarianism is your most important constituent—students. Reports suggest that College Republicans and College Democrats, like elected officials at the national level, are united in their recognition of the threat posed by the CCP.”
— Former U.S. Undersecretary of State Keith Krach
We Need You
Join us to learn how you can join the student-driven network of activists dismantling the influence of the CCP on campuses around the country.
Read our Washington Appeal
Support our model legislation
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