White liberal college professor is under investigation for telling students she is ‘sick’ of talking about Black Lives Matter
- Erica Coper, a lecturer at SUNY Buffalo State college, made the comment during a Zoom class last fall
- A student recorded the remark and posted it to social media this week
- A free speech attorney who is supporting Cope claims the comments have been taken out of context and that the lecturer is a liberal who supports BLM
- SUNY Buffalo State say they are investigating the incident
- College president ‘Kate Conway-Turner stated: ‘At its core, Black Lives Matter is a human rights statement’
- While free expression and debate is always welcome on our campus… we must always recognize it is not without consequence,’ she added
A white lecturer is under investigation by administrators at her university after she told students she was ‘sick’ of talking about Black Lives Matter.
The controversial comment was reported to have been made by Eric Cope, a writing program lecturer at SUNY Buffalo State.
Cope allegedly made the comment during a Zoom class last fall, but it only came to the attention of college officials this week after a student posted the old footage to Instagram.
‘This is me speaking honestly, and you guys have to respond honestly with what you think, with what you feel about this. So I am sick of [inaudible] about Black Lives Matter. Alright? I said it,’ Cope can be heard telling students during the Zoom class.
She is also heard saying on the recording that she is a ‘liberal’.
The controversial comment was reported to have been made by Eric Cope, a writing program lecturer at SUNY Buffalo State, during a class last fall
Cope allegedly made the comment during a Zoom class last fall, but it only came to the attention of college officials this week after a student posted the old footage to Instagram
The student who recorded the clip and shared it on social media has been identified as Jahnay Moreh.
Moreh told Buffalo News that Cope made the comment as an example of something she might be ‘cancelled’ for saying.
Without context, it is unclear whether Cope was just giving a random example or whether she was expressing a truly held opinion.
Cope referred the New York Post to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a nonprofit group that is defending the lecturer over her remarks.
‘She was trying to speak provocatively and, out of context, it’s being interpreted as her saying I’m tired of talking about Black Lives Matter,’ FIRE attorney Adam Steinbaugh told The Post.
He later told Buffalo News: ‘In the broader context of it [her lecture], it’s pretty clear that she’s supportive of Black Lives Matter.
SUNY Buffalo State say they are still going to probe the incident
However, SUNY Buffalo State say they are still going to probe the incident.
College President Kate Conway-Turner released a statement Monday which read: ‘While free expression and debate is always welcome on our campus and in our classrooms, we must always recognize that free speech is not without consequence for those it reaches.
‘At its core, Black Lives Matter is a human rights statement. While we do not yet have the full context of the instructor’s comments, the reality is the sentiment she expressed lays bare an insensitivity to the historic and current lived experiences of all people of color. Her message as presented is unacceptable.’
Conway-Turner added that she has asked her Chief Diversity Officer to ‘gather all pertinent details concerning the matter’.
The student who recorded the clip and shared it on social media has been identified as Jahnay Moreh