A Hunter College associate professor, Allyson Friedman, has been placed on leave following backlash over her “abhorrent remarks” made during a public school district meeting in New York City. The university is now investigating the incident.
The Controversial Remarks
Friedman, who was attending the NYC District 3 Community Education Council (CEC3) meeting earlier this month as a parent, was heard making controversial comments in a video that surfaced online.
The incident occurred while an eighth-grade student spoke out against the potential closure of her school. Friedman said, “They’re just 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.”
The remarks appeared to reference a quote from the meeting by District 3 interim acting superintendent Reginald Higgins, who quoted the Black scholar Carter G. Woodson: “When you can control a man’s thinking, you do not have to send him to the back door, he will go without being told.”
Apology and Explanation
Following the incident, Friedman apologized for her remarks, claiming they were taken out of context. She explained that an accidental unmute had captured only part of the conversation.
In a statement to ABC News, Friedman clarified that she was trying to explain the concept of systemic racism to her child by using an example of an obviously racist trope, but her full comment was not captured in the video.
“These abhorrent views are not my own, nor were they directed at any student or group,” Friedman said in her statement. She also expressed support for the students who were fighting against school closures and acknowledged that her comments had caused harm and pain.
Hunter College Response
Hunter College, where Friedman is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, condemned her remarks and launched an internal investigation. The college stated that they are reviewing the incident under the university’s applicable conduct and nondiscrimination policies.
Hunter College President Nancy Cantor emphasized in a statement that the comments came during a meeting celebrating Black History Month, which focused on the ongoing effects of anti-Black systemic racism. Cantor expressed the institution’s commitment to addressing these issues with vigilance.
Community Reactions and Demands for Resignation
The NYC District 3 Community Education Council (CEC3) strongly condemned Friedman’s remarks, calling them “deeply harmful and wholly unacceptable.” CEC3 pointed out that the remarks were especially troubling since they were made during Black History Month while a student was speaking out against school closures.
New York City Public Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels also condemned the comments, stating, “It was abhorrent to listen to. And our students deserve so much better.”
CEC3 member Felicia Reese Amos called for Friedman’s resignation, stating that her conduct was a breach of “moral and professional fitness” that could not be resolved through internal review alone.
Hunter College Investigation
As of now, Hunter College has placed Friedman on leave while they investigate the matter. The investigation is ongoing, and the university has not yet announced further actions.
