Despite more than 3,500 petition signatures and negative international media coverage, Stanford University still plans to drastically cut its Cantonese language offerings. This is a grave misstep that damages Stanford’s global reputation, undermining the university’s intellectual leadership and self-professed commitment to diversity. With more than 80 million speakers globally, Cantonese remains a vital and useful language. In the United States alone, Census Bureau data shows that there are nearly as many self-reported Cantonese speakers (459,000) as Mandarin speakers (487,000) among those who specify a variety of Chinese. From California to New York, knowledge of Cantonese has benefited professionals, from doctors and nurses to social workers and officials overseeing elections. Members of the diaspora use the language to access their cultural heritage, explore identity and belonging, and communicate with family members. Stanford’s decision disregards the interests of these diverse communities and all those who benefit from their contributions. After an initial outcry over its effective cancellation of Cantonese, the university’s School of Humanities and Sciences has committed to only two courses this autumn, to be taught by an hourly contractor without health insurance or job benefits. This sets the programme back a quarter of a century – it started with just two courses in 1997 taught by a salaried instructor – and profoundly disrespects the contributions of long-time Cantonese lecturer Dr Sik Lee Dennig. After earning her PhD in educational linguistics at Stanford, Dennig single-handedly nurtured the Cantonese programme over two decades, only for her position to be eliminated without consultation. It is unconscionable for a world-class institution to ask educators such as Dennig to accept an hourly position with no guarantee of stability. If Stanford needs to save costs, why not trim administrative bloat instead of the faculty? The pattern of shifting lecturers to ever-cheaper labour contracts is deeply embarrassing: the university has a proven ability to raise new funds for its US$28.9 billion endowment fund. A lack of funding for Cantonese exists because Stanford has deprioritised it. Given its founder’s history of exploiting Chinese labour, Stanford also has a moral obligation to fully fund the Cantonese lectureship: railroad baron Leland Stanford created the institution using a fortune built on the backs of exploited Chinese railroad workers from Guangdong (Canton) province, who experienced deadly working conditions and poorer wages compared to white workers. As California governor and senator, he oversaw a rising tide of racist sentiment and voiced fervent support for anti-Chinese legislation. In recent years, many American universities have grappled with recognition, reconciliation and reparations to atone for their racist histories . Stanford should make a principled choice to honour Chinese railroad workers’ unsung contributions to the university – including laying the very bricks of the campus buildings – by ensuring that future generations can access a thriving language programme. This is a position supported by several of the railroad workers’ descendants, who are among those who have signed the petition. Students and alumni have long expressed their discontent over Cantonese not counting towards Stanford’s language requirements. Despite the unequal footing, an average of 31 students enrol for Cantonese courses each autumn. Cutting these courses only further reduces students’ incentive and ability to explore cultural diversity, weakening Stanford’s future impact on the international stage. The need to cooperate on a global response to Covid-19, along with growing tensions in US-China relations , reinforces the importance of understanding China’s political and cultural nuances. As the most widely-spoken Sinitic language other than Mandarin, Cantonese offers a more pluralistic understanding of China, which is not a monolithic entity. Scholars of Chinese history, literature and society find that knowledge of Cantonese provides new perspectives on the past and present. Speaking Cantonese also offers advantages to those forging business and professional ties in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong’s Pearl River Delta . In her Statement on Diversity and Inclusion, Stanford’s Provost Persis Drell asserts that “diversity is critical to our research and educational missions”, and that “it is essential to be exposed to views and cultures other than one’s own”. Yet her administration’s defunding of languages clearly contradicts these principles. If she uses words such as “critical” and “essential” to describe Stanford’s verbal commitment to diversity and ethical leadership, Drell must ensure the university’s budget plan reflects the same. As a global leader, Stanford should take action to enhance linguistic diversity, not reduce it. Humanity is already losing an increasing number of languages every year, and Cantonese speakers face government pressure to switch to Mandarin. The best future is one where multilingual citizens of the world can converse freely and openly in a multitude of languages, including their mother tongues. Other institutions are already taking the lead on this pluralistic vision. The University of British Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley offer Cantonese classes, including reading and writing, while New York University, whose Cantonese courses are also offered at Columbia University, cite Cantonese as “key to connecting with community concerns”. Stanford should conclude, as the University of Toronto has, that Cantonese “is increasingly important in culture and business”. With America’s foreign relations in tatters after four years of isolationism, now is the time to promote language education and rebuild global ties. Stanford, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the US have all been immense beneficiaries of open exchange with the Asia-Pacific. Stanford must strengthen, rather than defund, its Cantonese programme, to empower engagement with the wider world. We still have faith that Stanford will live up to its educational mission, and demonstrate the ethical, intellectual and cultural leadership befitting an institution of its stature. Restoring a full-time instructor to the Cantonese programme is a necessary first step. Brian Chan studies computer science at Stanford. Kevin Hsu graduated from Stanford with degrees in earth systems, international relations, and civil & environmental engineering. Jamie Tam, MPH, PhD is an assistant professor at the Yale School of Public Health and Stanford alumna Class of 2010. Tao Large, Vicki Sun and Ryan Talvola, members of the Save Cantonese coalition, also contributed to this article