Terminate Dinah PoKempner

Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy

On April 1st, Dinah PoKempner explicitly used the N-word several times during her International Human Rights Law class in an attempt to contextualize hate speech. She laughed as she said the slur and spoke using an offensive and stereotypical accent. Her students attempted to express their objections to her use of the slur. Rather than apologizing, PoKempner asked her students if they’d ever been called a slur and, if so, had such an incident had happened at Columbia or within the last three years. Her students unsuccessfully continued to push for a deeper conversation addressing what had happened, but PoKempner maintained that her use of the N-word was warranted. In complete disregard of the impact on her Black students, PoKempner continued pursuing an academic discussion surrounding hate speech, despite the obvious discomfort in the class. She eventually opted to take a break, during which PoKempner forgot to mute herself and was heard recounting the conversation in class to someone, where she again repeated the slur and proceeded to laugh about the possibility of being “cancelled.” Students in the class filed a report with the office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and have met with the Office of Multicultural Affairs, but are unsatisfied with the options presented to them and the manner with which the incident has been approached.

Dinah PoKempner is not fit to teach students as a professor at Columbia University, nor is she fit to continue her work at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. PoKempner's use of the N-word and her resulting dismissive response to students is unacceptable and displays a clear disrespect for her Black students. PoKempner’s actions are antithetical to the foundations of her area of study, International Human Rights Law, which holds that human beings are owed certain rights to preserve a universal dignity. We ask that:

1. Dinah PoKempner be terminated from her positions at The Institute for the Study of Human Rights and the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy

2. The Institute for the Study of Human Rights and the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy issue statements publicly denouncing Dinah PoKempner's behavior and sever all ties with her

3. Students in PoKempner's class receive the option of a universal pass/universal grade if they so choose

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Bwog Article: https://bwog.com/2021/04/professor-dinah-pokempner-uses-racist-slur-over-zoom/

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Mobilized African Diaspora
New York, NY

To: Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy
From: [Your Name]

On April 1st, Dinah PoKempner explicitly used the N-word several times during her International Human Rights Law class in an attempt to contextualize hate speech. She laughed as she said the slur and spoke using an offensive and stereotypical accent. Her students attempted to express their objections to her use of the slur. Rather than apologizing, PoKempner asked her students if they’d ever been called a slur and, if so, had such an incident had happened at Columbia or within the last three years. Her students unsuccessfully continued to push for a deeper conversation addressing what had happened, but PoKempner maintained that her use of the N-word was warranted. In complete disregard of the impact on her Black students, PoKempner continued pursuing an academic discussion surrounding hate speech, despite the obvious discomfort in the class. She eventually opted to take a break, during which PoKempner forgot to mute herself and was heard recounting the conversation in class to someone, where she again repeated the slur and proceeded to laugh about the possibility of being “cancelled.” Students in the class filed a report with the office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action and have met with the Office of Multicultural Affairs, but are unsatisfied with the options presented to them and the manner with which the incident has been approached.

Dinah PoKempner is not fit to teach students as a professor at Columbia University, nor is she fit to continue her work at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy. PoKempner's use of the N-word and her resulting dismissive response to students is unacceptable and displays a clear disrespect for her Black students. PoKempner’s actions are antithetical to the foundations of her area of study, International Human Rights Law, which holds that human beings are owed certain rights to preserve a universal dignity. We ask that The Institute for the Study of Human Rights and the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy publicly denounce Dinah ProKempner's behavior and sever all ties with her.