Hunter Professor's Remarks at School Meeting Spark Backlash

Allyson Friedman, an associate professor at Hunter College, drew widespread condemnation after making controversial remarks audible over an open microphone during a virtual public meeting on February 10 in New York City. The incident occurred at a Community Education Council session for School District 3 on Manhattan's West Side, where families discussed Mayor Zohran Mamdani's proposal to close or relocate several schools due to low enrollment.

The meeting focused on plans affecting multiple institutions, including the closure of middle school programs at the Community Action School and the Manhattan School for Children, as well as the relocation of the Center School, which serves fifth through eighth graders, to the campus of P.S./I.S. 191. That school would lose its middle school grades in the process. Attendees, including parents and students, expressed concerns about disruptions to communities and programs, with race emerging as a key issue given that schools facing closures often serve higher proportions of Black and Latino students. Black students comprise about 20 percent of enrollment across the city's public schools.

Friedman, who attended as a parent of a public school...