A New York college professor has been placed on leave, days after a hot mic caught her making comments about Black students that officials called “abhorrent” and “blatantly racist.”
Hunter College announced on Wednesday that Allyson Friedman, an associate biology professor, has been reprimanded for remarks that she made on a Zoom call earlier this month. Friedman was on a Zoom call for a Community Education Council meeting when, not realizing that her mic was still on, she began talking to her daughter about how some city schools could be closed or relocated.
“They’re too dumb to know they’re in a bad school,” Friedman said while a Black student was speaking. “If you train a Black person well enough, they’ll know to use the back. You don’t have to tell them anymore.”
That comment is believed to be a reference to Carter G. Woodson, who wrote, “If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told,” in his 1933 book “The Mis-Education of the Negro.” Woodson had reportedly been referenced earlier on the Zoom call.
Allyson Friedman, an associate professor at Hunter College, is under fire after her mic was left on during a ‘racist rant’ on a Zoom call, leaving students and education officials profoundly disturbed. 😳
pic.twitter.com/K4MUvbWf6B
— Rain Drops Media (@Raindropsmedia1) February 23, 2026
Hunter College president Nancy Cantor called Friedman’s remarks “abhorrent” in a statement issued Wednesday. The school is still investigating Friedman under the university’s conduct and nondiscrimination policies.
Friedman attempted to publicly clarify her comments, though city officials demanded punishment. City Council Education Chair Rita Joseph expressed that she was “deeply disturbed” by Friedman’s comments. New York City estimates that just under 20% of students identify as Black.
As of Thursday evening, Friedman had not publicly commented on the school’s decision.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression released a statement Thursday, with Director of Faculty Legal Defense Zach Greenberg calling on Hunter College to reinstate Friedman.
More than 1,200 people have signed a petition calling on Hunter College to fire Dr. Allyson Friedman, a tenured associate professor, following remarks made during a recent Community Education Council meeting.
In a statement to The New York Times, Friedman said she was describing… pic.twitter.com/992sjklg3Y
— Change.org (@Change) February 24, 2026
“Faculty have the right to discuss public issues off hours,” Greenberg said. “Dr. Friedman’s commentary — about issues at a school her child goes to — is precisely the kind of political speech protected by the First Amendment.”
A Change.org petition calling for Friedman’s dismissal had over 2,100 signatures as of publication. The official Change.org X account shared the petition on Tuesday afternoon.
“Hunter College had a chance to stand by a member of its faculty in the face of public pressure for her job,” Greenberg said. “Instead, it buckled to powerful politicians and online commentators. The message to other faculty members is clear: When the rubber meets the road and scholars face backlash for their speech, leadership won’t have their backs.”
Friedman’s official Hunter College bio remained online at publication.
