Hunter College Professor Allyson Friedman Sparks Fury After Hot-Mic 'Blatantly Racist' Remarks at UWS Schools Meeting
Allyson Friedman, an associate professor at Hunter College, has become the center of intense backlash after she was caught on a hot mic making what officials described as "blatantly racist" comments during a Community Education Council meeting on Feb. 10. The remarks were made while an eighth-grade student was speaking, and they have prompted apologies, institutional review, and sharp reactions from education leaders and community members.
Allyson Friedman and the Feb. 10 meeting
Friedman was participating in a hybrid Community Education Council meeting for School District 3 on Feb. 10 that addressed the possible relocation or closure of three Upper West Side schools: The Center School, The Riverside School for Makers and Artists, and the Community Action School. The session included parents, students, and teachers; some participants were in person at the Joan of Arc school building at 154 West 93rd Street while many others joined on Zoom. Neighborhood Superintendent Reginald Higgins and members of the city Department of Education were present as hosts alongside the Community Education Council.
The hot-mic remarks that ignited outrage
During testimony from an eighth-grade student from the Community Action School who was speaking about not wanting to lose her school, a person who appeared unaware their mic was live made the following remarks: "They’re too dumb to know they’re in a bad school. " The same voice then said, "If you train a Black person well enough, they’ll know to use the back. You don’t have to tell them anymore. " There were a handful of words not able to be made out between the first and second sentence. A final fragment in the recorded transcript appears as "Sin, " which is unclear in the provided context.
Immediate reactions: stunned students and prominent officials
Students on the Zoom call were left stunned by the comments. Education officials described the remarks as "blatantly racist" and said they were profoundly disturbed. Rita Joseph, the city council education chair, said she was deeply disturbed by the blatantly racist and harmful remarks made during the CEC3 meeting. Brad Hoylman Sigal, the Manhattan borough president, characterized the remarks as "outrageous" and called it particularly despicable that the words were uttered while children were giving testimony, exposing them to hatred.
Apology from Allyson Friedman and follow-up email timeline
On Saturday, February 21, an update noted that Allyson Friedman sent a statement in an email at 6 p. m. on Saturday acknowledging she was the person who made the remarks. In that message Friedman said she was "deeply sorry to the students, families, educators, and community members who were hurt. " She explained that during the Feb. 10 meeting there had been a discussion about systemic racism and educational equity and that, separately, as a parent she was trying to explain the concept of systemic racism by referencing a historical example. She said an inadvertent unmute captured part of that conversation, affirmed her remarks were not directed at the student speaker and do not reflect her beliefs or values, and said she took full responsibility for the impact of her words.
The email noted Friedman had immediately sent written apologies to Dr. Higgins, the Community Action School, and the Community Education Council, expressed support for the Community Action School and its mission, and said she was committed to accountability and repairing harm.
Institutional response and wider context
Hunter College acknowledged the incident, described the remarks as "abhorrent, " and said it was reviewing the situation under the university’s applicable conduct and nondiscrimination policies. The meeting video was posted by the Community Education Council on its site earlier in the week, which prompted a response from the city Department of Education. Black students represent around 20% of the total student enrollment across New York City schools. Hunter College enrollment figures noted in the context show more than 17, 000 undergraduates and 5, 500 graduate students are enrolled at the college.
What’s next for the community and the institutions involved
The immediate developments include the college review under its conduct and nondiscrimination policies and continuing community concern over the timing of the disruption, given ongoing conversations about potential school closures and relocations in District 3. Recent statements and the posted meeting video have intensified scrutiny; further institutional actions or community responses were not detailed in the provided context and therefore are unclear in the provided context.
