Allyson Friedman NYC DOE: Hunter College Professor Faces Calls for Termination After Hot Mic Racist Remarks at School Meeting
A Hunter College professor has ignited a firestorm across New York City after racist remarks she made during an NYC DOE Community Education Council Zoom meeting were captured on a live microphone, went viral, and sparked institutional investigations, public condemnation, and calls for her immediate dismissal.
Who Is Allyson Friedman and What Did She Say
Allyson Friedman is an associate professor of biological sciences at Hunter College in New York City, specializing in cellular neurophysiology. She holds a PhD from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and completed postdoctoral work at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, with research focused on neural circuits that shape social behavior.
During the February 10 NYC DOE District 3 Community Education Council meeting, an eighth-grade student from the Community Action School was speaking up to protest the planned shutdown of her school when Friedman, attending via Zoom, was overheard saying: "They're too dumb to know they're in a bad school. If you train a Black person well enough, they'll know to use the back. You don't have to tell them anymore."
The Hot Mic Moment That Shocked the Room
The reaction inside the Zoom meeting was immediate and visceral — capturing a moment that participants described as one of the most shocking they had ever witnessed during a public education proceeding.
As members of the meeting covered their open mouths with their hands in shock, another attendee intervened directly, telling Friedman: "Allyson Friedman, what you're saying is absolutely hearable here. You've got to stop." Friedman's microphone went silent.
The remarks came moments after a Black student had expressed sadness over the potential closure of her school — making what followed all the more jarring for those in attendance. The student body of the Community Action School is predominantly Black and Latino.
The NYC DOE Meeting Context: School Closures in Upper West Side
The Community Education Council meeting where the incident unfolded was centered on a charged local political issue — proposed school closures that have divided the Upper West Side community.
The virtual meeting was focused on NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani's proposal to close several schools on Manhattan's West Side. Three Upper West Side schools were under consideration for possible relocation or closure by the NYC Department of Education.
Friedman's remarks appear to have been triggered by a reference made earlier in the meeting by interim acting superintendent Reginald Higgins, who cited Black 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. Friedman says she was attempting to riff on that concept — but what the open microphone captured stunned the room.
Friedman's Explanation and Apology
Allyson Friedman stepped forward days after the clip went viral to claim responsibility and offer an explanation, though her account has been met with widespread skepticism.
In a statement to the New York Times, Friedman said she was "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." She added: "My complete comments make clear these abhorrent views are not my own, nor were they directed at any student or group."
Friedman issued a full written apology, stating: "Regardless of context, my words were wrong and caused real harm. I take full responsibility for their impact, and I am deeply sorry to the students, families, educators, and community members who were hurt." She said she immediately sent written apologies to the acting superintendent, the Community Action School, and the Community Education Council.
Hunter College Investigation and NYC DOE Response
Institutional responses to the Allyson Friedman NYC DOE incident moved quickly once the clip spread widely on social media.
Hunter College confirmed it is reviewing the situation under its applicable conduct and nondiscrimination policies, with a senior vice president calling the remarks "abhorrent." The college stated it "expects community members' actions and words to comport with our institutional identity, values, and policies."
Community Education Council 3 issued a statement saying: "CEC3 unequivocally condemns the remarks made during the meeting. They do not represent the values, mission, or principles that guide our work." Calls for Friedman's termination from her tenured position have continued to grow online and in community forums as the investigation proceeds.
