Hunter College Professor Caught Making Racist Remarks During Virtual Meeting

Racist Remarks During Virtual Meeting

• 💡 A Hunter College professor, Allyson Friedman, was recorded making racist remarks during a virtual Community Education Council meeting.
• 📌 The comments were made while discussing the potential relocation or closure of three Upper West Side schools, with parents, students, and teachers present.
• 🎯 Friedman's remarks, seemingly unaware she was audible, included statements like "They're too dumb to know they're in a bad school" and a reference to training a Black person to "use the back."

Context and Student Impact

• 🗣️ The professor's comments appeared to be a misinterpretation or distortion of a statement by interim acting superintendent Reginald Higgins, who referenced Carter G. Woodson's ideas on systemic oppression.
• 😔 An eighth-grade student expressed concern about losing their school, a safe space, before Friedman's remarks were made.
• ⚠️ Attendees reported that Friedman insinuated students of color couldn't learn as well as white students and would end up in cleaning jobs.

Reactions and Accountability

• 🔍 Local school district superintendent Dr. Reginald Higgins condemned the remarks as racially offensive and harmful, particularly to the predominantly Black and Latinx school community.
• 🏛️ Hunter College stated it was aware of the incident and reviewing the situation under its conduct and non-discrimination policy.
• ⚖️ Senator Nina Turner emphasized the need for consequences and repercussions, though not definitively calling for firing, and suggested a review of the professor's history.

Historical Parallels and Systemic Issues

• 📚 The incident evoked parallels to historical instances of racism in education, such as Malcolm X's experience being told to be a carpenter instead of a lawyer by a white teacher.
• 🌍 The discussion highlighted the ongoing nature of anti-Black racism and systemic issues in the United States, as argued by scholars like Derek Bell.
• ⚠️ The professor's attempt to qualify her remarks was seen as insufficient, with concerns raised about her inability to control her speech and potential need for mental health support.