On February 10, during a Community Education Council zoom meeting regarding a school facing possible closure, Hunter College Professor Allyson Friedman was caught unmuted, saying:

"They're too dumb to know they're in a bad school... if you train a black person well enough, they'll know to use the back," she said. "You don't have to tell them anymore."

We wholeheartedly condemn the racist, cruel remarks made by Allyson Friedman. As Chancellor Kamar Samuels has stated, there is no place for this kind of behavior in New York City Schools. All children, regardless of race, class, or school district, deserve access to free, fair, and public education. We support NYC DOE's swift condemnation of the participant's remarks, as well as their efforts to investigate the situation.

The racist remarks in particular have struck a chord with members of the Hunter community. Many of us who grew up in the city have spent our entire academic careers in public schools. CUNY is overwhelmingly for the working class, with its undergraduate body being 80% students of color, and 50% first generation immigrants.

CUNY has a long history of anti-Black racism. After CUNY threatened to end the SEEK program, a coalition of Black and Puerto Rican students at City College launched the 5 demands, one of which gave us the African, Puerto Rican and Latino Studies Program. But soon thereafter, the Henderson Rules were passed, severely limiting the ability of students to protest. We KNOW where CUNY stands when it comes to Black liberation and success.

By signing this petition as a member of the Hunter College community, you support our demand for your college to begin immediate termination processes against Allyson Friedman for these unconscionable remarks. It would be the first step on a long list of things that Hunter SHOULD be doing for its students.