Professor Unapologetic After College Fires Her for On-Air Showdown With Tucker Carlson
Lisa Durden is not sorry for comments made on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” that ultimately got her fired from her job as an adjunct professor at Essex County College in Newark, New Jersey.
She was speaking to Carlson about a Black Lives Matter Memorial Day event open only to black people. “Boo, hoo, hoo,” she said. “You white people are angry because you couldn’t use your white privilege card.” Carlson fired back that she was “demented.”
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Two days later, Durden was suspended, and then fired on Friday. However, the professor says that there was no mention of why she was being suspended in the letter from the college.
In an appearance on News One with Roland Martin, she confirmed that she was unapologetic for her remarks. When asked if she was going to apologize, she said “No, I am not going to.”
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“I wasn’t there to play games, I was there to take a bite out of crime,” she said. “When a black woman is on television who is direct, who is aggressive, we’re ‘angry.’ Well, when Jeanine Perro on TV pointing and screaming and yelling, she’s ‘intelligent.'”
“Why can’t I come on there and be aggressive and talk in the same vein as any expert in the fields of pop culture, politics and social issues,” she continued. “So now when I do it, I’m not intelligent. When they do it, they’re amazing, they’re intelligence, they’re fantastic!”
Essex County College president Anthony E. Monroe said in a statement that “racism cannot be fought with more racism.” He also said that while the college supports free speech, it “must always work in the service of our student body.” Durden has said that she has received support from her students and other faculty members. After her Fox appearance, she had expected as much from the school as well. “I thought when I came home from war, I would be safe,” she told NJ.com.
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