A Hunter College professor has been placed on leave pending the outcome of an investigation into offensive comments she made during a Zoom meeting.
The incident happened during a New York City community education council Zoom meeting on Feb. 10.
Accusations of racist comments
Allyson Friedman, an associate professor at Hunter College, was caught on a hot mic, saying, "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 continued.
Her comments came after District 3 Interim Acting Superintendent Reginald Higgins quoted 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 said.
Hunter College investigating
In a message posted Wednesday, Hunter College President Nancy Cantor called Friedman's remarks "abhorrent" and confirmed she has been placed on leave as the school investigates the matter in relation to the university's applicable conduct and nondiscrimination policies.
"This painful incident unfolded at a meeting where Black History Month was being celebrated and the pernicious and enduring effects of anti-Black systemic racism were being discussed, especially with regard to the role of educational institutions in addressing them," Cantor wrote, in part. "Hunter has long embraced such a role, which requires constant vigilance to remain attentive and responsive to the ways in which we continually draw and redraw discriminatory social lines."
CBS News New York previously 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."
Hunter College professor placed on leave over offensive comments during Zoom meeting
/ CBS New York
A Hunter College professor has been placed on leave pending the outcome of an investigation into offensive comments she made during a Zoom meeting.
The incident happened during a New York City community education council Zoom meeting on Feb. 10.
Accusations of racist comments
Allyson Friedman, an associate professor at Hunter College, was caught on a hot mic, saying, "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 continued.
Her comments came after District 3 Interim Acting Superintendent Reginald Higgins quoted 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 said.
Hunter College investigating
In a message posted Wednesday, Hunter College President Nancy Cantor called Friedman's remarks "abhorrent" and confirmed she has been placed on leave as the school investigates the matter in relation to the university's applicable conduct and nondiscrimination policies.
"This painful incident unfolded at a meeting where Black History Month was being celebrated and the pernicious and enduring effects of anti-Black systemic racism were being discussed, especially with regard to the role of educational institutions in addressing them," Cantor wrote, in part. "Hunter has long embraced such a role, which requires constant vigilance to remain attentive and responsive to the ways in which we continually draw and redraw discriminatory social lines."
CBS News New York previously 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."
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Hunter College professor accused of making racist comments placed on leave
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