Hunter College Professor Makes Racist Remarks On Hot Mic During Zoom, College Says

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Hunter College on the Upper East Side told Patch it is "reviewing the situation" after one of its professors made racist remarks on an accidentally unmuted microphone during a Zoom meeting with several public school parents, teachers and students.

The remarks, first reported by West Side Rag, came during a Zoom meeting on Feb. 10 about the possible relocation of three Upper West Side schools hosted by Community Education Council 3.

Hunter professor Allyson Friedman, who was attending the meeting as a parent, was overheard saying, "They’re too dumb to know they’re in a bad school," and later, "If you train a Black person well enough, they’ll know to use the back. You don’t have to tell them anymore," during the meeting.

Friedman, who told the West Side Rag that she was trying to explain systemic racism to her child when she was accidentally unmuted, apologized for the hurt her words had caused.

"Regardless of intent, these comments were deeply harmful and wholly unacceptable. That such remarks were made while a student was courageously offering public comment makes this incident even more troubling," Community Education Council 3 said in a statement following the incident.

Friedman is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Hunter.

"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," a Hunter College spokesperson told Patch. "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."

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.