Hunter College Professor Allyson Friedman Faces Calls to Be Fired After Racist Remarks Caught on Hot Mic During NYC School Meeting

A Hunter College professor is at the center of a firestorm after being caught on a live Zoom mic making deeply offensive racist remarks while a Black student was testifying at a New York City school community meeting — sparking outrage across the city and calls from students and parents for her immediate termination.

What Happened: The February 10 School Meeting

Allyson Friedman, an associate professor at Hunter College, has identified herself as the person heard making racist remarks during a February 10 virtual meeting of New York City's School District 3 Community Education Council. The incident has drawn widespread attention after a clip of the District 3 virtual meeting went viral on social media. The remarks were made while an eighth-grade student from the Community Action School was speaking about not wanting to lose her school — one of three Upper West Side schools under consideration for possible relocation or closure by the Department of Education.

As the student spoke, Friedman was heard saying: "They're too dumb to know they're in a bad school. It's like, if you train a Black person well enough, they'll know to use the back door — you don't have to tell them anymore."

In response, a man who appeared to be the moderator said: "Allyson Friedman, what you're saying is absolutely hearable; you've got to stop." Students on the Zoom call reacted with visible shock — mouths agape, faces covered, expressions of disbelief spreading across their screens.

Friedman's Defense: "It Was a Zoom Mishap"

During the meeting itself, Friedman's only response had been a message in the Zoom chat approximately 40 minutes after the remarks: "Deepest apology for the inappropriate comment — Zoom mishap."

Friedman later claimed she had been "trying to explain the concept of systemic racism" to her child, who was in the room with her, "by referencing an example of an obviously racist trope," and that the only part of the conversation audible to others was what was captured by the mic. "My complete comments make clear these abhorrent views are not my own, nor were they directed at any student or group," she said.

Friedman's remarks were made in reference to an earlier comment by school district acting superintendent Reginald Higgins, who had cited the words of scholar Carter G. Woodson, who once observed that a man conditioned to believe he is an outcast will go to the back door without being told.

Hunter College's Response

A Hunter College spokesperson confirmed that Friedman is an employee and called the remarks "abhorrent," stating: "Hunter College is aware of an incident during a recent virtual meeting of the New York City School District 3 Community Education Council in which abhorrent remarks were heard coming from a district parent who also is a Hunter employee. Hunter College is reviewing the situation under the university's applicable conduct and nondiscrimination policies."

Friedman's Formal Apology

Friedman sent a statement acknowledging she was the one who made the remarks, saying she was "deeply sorry to the students, families, educators, and community members who were hurt." She said that "due to an inadvertent unmute, part of that conversation was captured" and that her remarks "were not directed at the student speaker and they do not reflect my beliefs or values."

Who Allyson Friedman Is

Dr. Allyson Friedman is an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Hunter College. Her research explores the neural circuits and neuroadaptations that mediate social behaviors, focusing on how diverse coping strategies, sex hormones, and social support can induce changes in underlying neural circuits guiding social behavior.

Calls for Firing and Petition

A Change.org petition titled "Fire Hunter College Professor Allyson Friedman For Racist Remarks" has been circulating online, with supporters arguing that people who make such remarks should not be in positions of power over students. Hunter College students have also left reviews on Rate My Professors, with some threatening a walkout if Friedman is not fired. The school district has confirmed it is conducting a separate investigation into the matter.