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Sept. 18-Sept. 25, 2020
St. John’s University investigating professor for
suggesting there was ‘good’ to come from slavery
‘NO FRACKING WAY’ BY BILL PARRY
More than 200 people marched through Astoria in protest of the NRG power plant on Saturday,
Sept. 12, calling for Governor Andrew Cuomo to reject NRG’s proposed plans for the site and
implement a Green New Deal. See story on Page 19. Photo by Dean Moses
St. John’s University has
launched a probe into one of its
history professors after he allegedly
asked one of his classes
if “there was good” to come
from slavery.
A group calling itself the
Radical Social Justice Warriors
at St. John’s accused Professor
Richard Taylor of using
“disgusting rhetoric” and demanded
his dismissal.
“Richard Taylor, an adjunct
instructor, has been removed
from the classroom and the
matter is under investigation,”
St. John’s University spokesman
Brian Browne said.
Farudh Majid, a masters
student at SJU studying government
and politics, explained
that the group that accused
Taylor is called The Radicals,
which is a non-university-related
student organization that
worked on the letter collectively,
but other members did not
want their names used out fears
of retribution from the school’s
administration. The Radicals’
mission is to battle systematic
injustice on campus.
“We crafted the letter and
posted it on Instagram and before
long there were 1,000 likes
and more than 2,000 shares,”
Majid said.
Taylor, a former NYPD po-
lice officer and U.S. Marine
Corps reservist, could not be
reached for comment. He is
also a doctoral candidate at St.
John’s whose research interests
focus on the evolution of
militarization within the New
York City Police Department.
“It is outrageous that in
2020, our Black students are
endangered by disgusting
rhetoric used by a Professor, an
individual who has a responsibility
to adhere to the mission
of our university to uphold a
global community, to speak of
slavery as if there was ‘good
to come from it,” The Radicals
wrote. “Justifying slavery and
the oppression that results
from it is a strong act of racism,
of aggression, and invalidates
the experiences of Black people
and other BIPOC individuals
with connections to slavery. It
pushes forth the belief that slavery
was okay. Every day that
Professor Taylor continues to
teach, Black lives are ignored.
Black pain is ignored. History
is ignored, manipulated, and
watered down.”
The Radicals added that
“the wrongness of slavery is
not a debate or a controversial
issue” and that it is not fit for
a “pros and cons list,” and that
any pro “was granted to White
people only, and the ‘diversity’
that has resulted in the United
States from slavery is not to
have its impacts weighed, especially
by students whose ancestors
did not have a say is being
brought to this continent.”
The Radicals concluded
their letter saying, “If Professor
Taylor continues to teach
at this university, St. John’s
University can never be antiracist
or claim it values Black
lives.”
The group posted on Instagram
soon after Taylor was
removed. They shared a letter
emailed to his students from
Professor Nerina Rustomji,
the chair of the SJU history
department.
Although she was unable to
comment on the investigation
she did say, “I would like to express
our department’s commitment
to anti-racism and to creating
classroom environments
where students feel included,
respected and enlightened by
course content and dialogue.”
Reach reporter Bill Parry by
e-mail at bparry@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4538.
Vol. 8, No. 38 36 total pages
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