Uphold Facebook Community Standards and Preserve Full Facebook Account Access for Mimi Maciel

We, the undersigned, call on Facebook to issue a formal apology to Mimi Maciel and make transparent the process through which her posts have been removed and categorized as infractions of Facebook Community Standards.

We believe that such transparency will afford us a clear and common understanding of Facebook’s Community Standards and, in this way, allow us to work collectively toward a truly “safe space” for each other. We are dismayed that Facebook’s decision to restrict Mimi’s account may have infringed upon her rights.

Within the Wellesley Alumnae Facebook group, Mimi has always been an active participant in the ongoing and important work of anti-oppression. Her voice has been powerful and necessary in the dismantling of racism, classicism, transphobia, etc., both within Facebook as well as society at large. Mimi's freedom of speech-- and her wise and courageous use of it-- has helped to shape our online community into one that is, every day, a bit more safe and more accessible to all alumnae.

We urge Facebook to look carefully at the series of decisions that led to the restriction of Mimi’s account (e.g. whether and how context was taken into consideration, as some of her posts were individually removed, etc.). We believe that the voices of all our members should be protected. At the same time, we carry within us the awareness and experiences that the voices of our most marginalized and vulnerable populations have been at greater risk for systemic silencing. We feel it imperative to work together with Facebook to ensure that all members may speak their truth, without fear of retribution or backlash that may result in a Facebook account that is restricted or suspended.

In closing, we would like to explicitly express and reiterate our commitment to Facebook Community Standards, including the part that states, "Because of the diversity of our global community, please keep in mind that something that may be disagreeable or disturbing to you may not violate our Community Standards." In a similar vein, something that Mimi posted may have been disagreeable or disturbing to others, but it may not have, in fact, violated Facebook Community Standards at their core. We urge you to look into this matter, with care and thoroughness.

We look forward to your response, with hopes that it will not only be swift but, also, congruent with the Facebook’s commitment to help keep people safe from bullying and harassment.