A group of students, parents, teachers and authorities They met via Zoom at an assembly of the Community Education Council on February 10. The reason was to address the closure of several public schools on Manhattan’s West Sidey Allyson Friedmanteacher of Hunter College, was one of the participants.
The virtual meeting took place normally on February 10 and the topic of conversation focused on the controversial proposal by Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration to relocate several educational institutions and close the doors of others.
But suddenly, as a student lamented the possible closure of her school and praised her teachers for opposing the relocation and closures, Professor Friedman interrupted her.
«They’re too dumb to know they’re in a bad school.«said Friedman. And then he added: «If you train a black person well, they will know how to use their back«.
The students’ faces were transformed, between shock, confusion and indignation. One of the parents intervened and spoke to the teacher: «What you are saying can be heard perfectly here. You have to stop.»
There was silence for about 14 seconds, and then the meeting organizer apologized to the young woman who had been interrupted and told her to continue with her speech.
Everything was recorded and that fragment of the meet It was then uploaded to the social network X, where it went viral and even generated a campaign on the Change.org platform to demand the dismissal of the teacherwhich already exceeds 2,441 signatures.
«I didn’t know I had the microphone on»: teacher Allyson Friedman’s explanation
After being published in the recording of the meeting, the repercussions on the incident They spread throughout the city. He New York Post indicates that Friedman sent a defense by email, where he admitted that he did not know that he had the microphone on when he said those phrases.
The teacher said she was «trying to explain the concept of systemic racism to his son«, a young man who was in the same room, and used those words as an example of a «racist cliché«.
He explained that he wanted to refer to a comment made earlier in the meeting by the local school district’s interim superintendent, Reginald Higgins, who had mentioned Carter G. Woodsonthe scholar known as «the father of black history», author of the following phrase: «If you rightly make a man believe he is an outcast, you don’t have to send him to the back door. «He’ll leave without you telling him.»
«My full comments make clear that these hateful opinions are not mine nor were they directed at any student or group. I fully support these brave students in their efforts to stop school closures,» Friedman added.
«However, I recognize that these comments caused harm and pain.and although that was not my intention, I sincerely apologize«he concluded.
According to an extensive article on the subject of The New York TimesFriiedad attended the meeting as the mother of a public school student and not as a teacher.
Friedman teaches at Hunter College, the prestigious institute of higher public education, founded in 1870 that is part of the system of the City University of New York (CUNY).
The teacher has a doctorate degree from that same university, and is dedicated to researching and teaching cellular neurophysiology. His biography indicates that he explores the neural adaptations that are responsible for the «aberrant social behaviors» .
The City University of New York’s statement on Allyson Friedman’s comments
The repercussions spread to Hunter College, which, being part of the City University of New York, It is not under the control of the rector.
The university reacted with a press release, reporting that although Dr. Friedman’s comments were made in her capacity as a parent and private citizen, ««are reviewing the incident,» in accordance with their standards of conduct and non-discrimination.
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
«We hope that the actions and words of our community members align with our identity, values and institutional policies. We remain steadfast in our ongoing commitment to maintaining a inclusive educational environment«they indicated in the statement.
Brad Hoylman-Sigalpresident of the Manhattan borough, described the comments like «anti-black» and «hate content.» Eric Dinowitz, chairman of the City Council’s education committee and a former teacher, urged the Department of Education to «address broader issues of racism within our school communities”.
Rector Kamar Samuels assured that they will work to «repair the deep damage that these words caused.» «Our students and our community deserve better,» lamented Samuels.
Rita Josepha City Council member who chairs the higher education committee, argued that the Zoom meeting incident exposed a «deeper and lasting problem» within the New York City public school system.
«He systemic racism that continues to appear in policies, practices and, as we saw, in rhetoric. We can’t talk about school closures, equity or educational opportunities without confronting the culture and systems that devalue students and black communities«said Joseph.
«As school districts consider closures and mergers, the question of race arises, because schools with lower enrollment often educate larger numbers of black and Latino students, who would lack space for thriving programs or lose close-knit communities if their schools close,» he added.
Parents, activists and officials called for Friedman to be fired from her job. «It is unacceptable, his comments show that he has no right to teach anyone,» declared Wendy Liz Martínez, member of the Community Education Council, indignantly, while educational authorities evaluate what measures to take.
