New York, New York - A New York biology professor is at the center of a scandal after making "blatantly racist" remarks during a public online session, sparking widespread calls for her dismissal.
Allyson Friedman was apparently caught red-handed at a digital meeting of the Community Education Council on February 10, the New York Post reports.
Her microphone was still on while a black eighth-grader spoke about the possible closure of her school.
"They're too dumb to know they're in a bad school," Friedman reportedly said during the livestream.
"If you train a black person well enough, they'll know to use the back. You don't have to tell them anymore."
The outrage was immediate: participants in the meeting reacted in shock, and clips of the incident soon spread rapidly on social media.
The professor later explained that she had not been reflecting her own attitude, but had rather been trying to explain systemic racism to her child, deliberately quoting an "obviously racist trope."
Her full statements were not heard in full.
Friedman says she was explaining an "obviously racist trope"
Friedman told the New York Times, "My complete comments make clear these abhorrent views are not my own, nor were they directed at any student or group."
At the same time, she apologized for the damage caused and emphasized that she supports the students in their fight against school closures.
However, the criticism continues, with several New York politicians condemning the comments.
"It was a reprehensible comment and indicative of the exact kind of language that makes students feel as if they don't belong in the public school system," city Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Tuesday.
City Council education chair, Rita Joseph, further slammed the comments as "blatantly racist and harmful."
A spokesperson for the university also condemned the comments, but did not confirm whether disciplinary action would follow.
The professor has a doctorate and conducts research in the field of neurophysiology. It is currently unclear whether she will be allowed to keep her job, but public pressure on the university is growing.