Hunter College professor under fire for offensive comments caught on hot mic during Zoom meeting
A Hunter College professor is under fire for comments caught on a hot mic during a Zoom meeting.
Some parents and students are calling the remarks racist.
We want to warn you the comments are offensive.
What Hunter College professor Allyson Friedman said
During a Feb. 10 New York City community education council meeting, District 3 Interim Acting Superintendent Reginald Higgins highlighted scholar Carter G. Woodson, known as the father of Black history.
"Carter G. Woodson said, 'When you can't control a man's thinking, you do not have to send him to the back door. He will go without being told,'" Higgins says.
Allyson Friedman, a Hunter College associate professor, can then be heard speaking.
"They're just, they're too dumb to know they're in a bad school. Apparently, Martin Luther King said it like, if you train a Black person well enough, they'll know to use the back. You don't have to tell them anymore," she says.
Another individual in the meeting then jumps in to let Friedman know her mic wasn't muted.
"Allyson Friedman, what you are saying is absolutely hearable here. You gotta stop," the individual says.
School officials react to comments
CBS News New York reached out to Friedman for comment, and she shared a link to a Substack article titled "Lost in Translation," where Friedman said she was trying to "explain the concept of systemic racism by referencing a historical example" and went on to say, "I take full responsibility for the impact, and I am deeply sorry."
The New York City Board of Education released the following statement:
"NYC Public Schools does not tolerate discrimination. We take these matters very seriously and the superintendent as well as our Office of Family and Community Empowerment are providing support to the district in response to this incident. Citywide and Community Education Councils are independent bodies, and their meetings are intended to be respectful spaces for students, families, and staff, and we are dedicated to supporting them in upholding that expectation."
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels also released a statement:
"The comments made were abhorrent and have no place in our school communities. New York City Public Schools does not tolerate racism or discrimination of any kind, period. We take these matters very seriously and the superintendent as well as our Office of Family and Community Empowerment are responding to this incident comprehensively. Citywide and Community Education Councils are independent bodies, and their meetings are expected to be respectful spaces for students, families, and staff. What happened at the meeting was a complete violation of those expectations, and we are providing support to the district to repair the harm done.
A Hunter College spokesperson released the following statement:
"Hunter College is aware of an incident during a recent virtual meeting of the New York City School District 3 Community Education Council in which abhorrent remarks were heard coming from a district parent who also is a Hunter employee. Even as these remarks were made in the individual's role as a private citizen and we understand that the district is conducting an investigation into the matter, Hunter College is reviewing the situation under the university's applicable conduct and nondiscrimination policies.
"In service to Hunter College, we expect our community members' actions and words to comport with our institutional identity, values, and policies. We stand firm in our enduring commitment to sustain an inclusive educational environment that is free of discrimination of any kind, in which people of all identities will feel welcome and can thrive."
Some call for professor to be fired
Parents, advocates and elected leaders held a press conference Tuesday to address what they described as racist remarks.
"It's unacceptable. She has no business being an educator," said one person who attended the meeting.
Ayana Roman, a Hunter College student, said she learned of the incident on social media.
"I interpreted what she said as racist," she said.
Despite Friedman's apology, some students are calling for action.
"I just feel like racism needs to be called out and you need to be let go, but it's up for Hunter to decide, ultimately," Roman said.