Dr. Allyson Friedman, a tenured associate professor at Hunter College in New York City, who is White, has been placed on leave after making racist remarks about Black students during a Zoom call. Her comments sparked outrage both online and within the university community.<\/p>\n
Friedman\u2019s comments were heard during a February 10 virtual meeting for New York City School District 3. An eighth-grade Black student was speaking about proposed school closures when Friedman, participating as a parent, was accidentally unmuted, according to Atlanta Black Star.<\/p>\n
She said, \u201cThey\u2019re too dumb to know they\u2019re in a bad school,\u201d referencing a supposed quote about Black students. \u201cApparently, Martin Luther King said it \u2014 if you train a Black person well enough, they\u2019ll know to use the back, you don\u2019t have to tell them anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other participants were shocked, and one quickly intervened. \u201cAllyson Friedman, what you\u2019re saying is absolutely hearable here. You\u2019ve got to stop,\u201d a man said during the call. Friedman later claimed she was citing a historical quote by Carter G. Woodson mentioned by the district superintendent, but the remarks had already caused significant backlash.<\/p>\n
Hunter College confirmed Friedman is on leave. President Nancy Cantor called the remarks \u201cabhorrent\u201d and stressed the university\u2019s commitment to maintaining an inclusive environment free from discrimination.<\/p>\n
Friedman defended herself, saying she was trying to explain systemic racism to her child, who was in the room during the call. She insisted the comments did not reflect her own beliefs, apologized for the harm caused, and expressed support for students opposing the school closures.<\/p>\n
The school district\u2019s plan would close two under-enrolled schools and repurpose a building on the Upper West Side, raising concerns among parents and community members about the impact on Black and Latino students. Hunter College has not said how long Friedman will remain on leave or if further disciplinary measures will follow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dr. Allyson Friedman, a tenured associate professor at Hunter College in New York City, who is White, has been placed on leave after making racist remarks about Black students during a Zoom call. Her comments sparked outrage both online and within the university community. Friedman\u2019s comments were heard during a February 10 virtual meeting for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":81339,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-81340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy"],"yoast_head":"\n