As New York is weighing plans to consolidate and close some city schools, students and parents were requested to join a remote call for a Community Education Council meeting on February 10. That’s when the particular Zoom meeting turned tense after a Hunter College professor was heard making racist comments on a hot mic.
Allyson Friedman, an associate professor of cellular neurophysiology at Hunter College, was attending a Community Education Council meeting that included parents, school officials, and students.
At one point, as an eighth-grade student started speaking about her fears that her school might shut down, Friedman’s microphone appeared to be on, and she was heard making “blatantly racist” comments about Black students.
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
As Friedman’s comments interrupted a Zoom call, it left New York City and CUNY staff shocked and gasping. The professor said, “If you train a Black person well enough, they’ll know to use the back. You don’t have to tell them anymore.”
Surprisingly, no one commented the first time, when Friedman made the racist remarks, following the eighth-grade student’s concern. This led her to speak further, following the district’s interim acting superintendent, Reginald Higgins’s comments.
In the meeting, Higgins spoke about Carter G. Woodson, a historian whose work helped create Black History Month. In his 1933 book The Mis-Education of the Negro, Woodson 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.”
Following this remark, Friedman was heard saying, “They’re too d–b to know they’re in a bad school.” As this comment left everyone in disbelief, one attendee finally spoke up, saying, “Allyson Friedman, what you’re saying is absolutely hearable here. You’ve got to stop.”
The comments quickly spread online, where people accused her of racism and insulting Black students. Netizens highlighted how her remarks were especially hurtful because children were speaking at the meeting.
@NYCMayor @ChancellorCUNY @Hunter_College @TheRevAl @AOC @NYSenDems @NYGovPress @KathyHochul
Allyson Friedman, has spoken.
Her true Hate for Black Americans (FBA).
She must be immediately removed from her position!!!!
— havesomerespect (@vivian_terry) February 24, 2026
This led a spokesperson for Hunter College to address the issue and call Allyson Friedman’s comments “abhorrent” in a statement to the Daily Mail. The college said it expects staff members to act in line with its values and policies, and does not promote or tolerate such racism.
“In service to Hunter College, we expect our community members’ actions and words to comport with our institutional identity, values, and policies” the statement read.
It further added, “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.”
Even Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman Sigal addressed the incident saying, Friedman’s words “have no place anywhere, especially in civic discourse.” He further added, “It is particularly despicable that these vile words were uttered while children were giving testimony at the meeting, exposing them to this hatred.”
Allyson Friedman later responded in a statement to The New York Times, where she apologized for her remarks stating how she was actually addressing her child and didn’t realize she could be heard through her microphone. She stressed that the mic didn’t pick up the full context of her remarks.
“My complete comments make clear these abhorrent views are not my own, nor were they directed at any student or group,” Friedman stated. “I fully support these courageous students in their efforts to stop school closures. However, I recognize these comments caused harm and pain, while that was not my intent, I do truly apologize.”
Meanwhile, despite Allyson Friedman’s apology, the incident has sparked debate across the city about racism, accountability, and the behavior expected from educators.
