Law Prof Responds to Complaints About Her Black Lives Matter Shirt
This story goes a long way to showing where we are as a nation.
Inside Higher Ed reports.
The Law Professor Who Answered Back
A few months ago, one or more anonymous students wrote a note to their law professor, complaining that she had been spotted at least once on campus wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt. The letter said wearing the shirt was “inappropriate” and “highly offensive.” Further, it said “we do not spend three years of our lives and tens of thousands of dollars to be subjected to indoctrination or personal opinions of our professors,” and urged the professor to avoid “mindless actions” that might distract students at a law school where not everyone is passing the bar.
The professor wrote back, not only defending her T-shirt, but also critiquing the students’ understanding of the professor-student relationship. While the incident took place earlier this year, the students’ letter and the professor’s response went viral in the last week, as Black Lives Matters protests resumed after the killings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota. Many have been applauding the professor, while some noted a lack of any information on who she was and whether the letters could be verified.
The professor is Patricia Leary, and she’s been teaching at Whittier Law School since 1992. She’s traveling right now and Inside Higher Ed was unable to reach her directly. But the law school confirmed that the letters were legit and she was the author. Whittier is known for its diversity: nonwhite students make up a majority of the law school’s student body.
The full exchange of letters can be found here. In her response, Leary analyzes the premises of the students — and goes well beyond Black Lives Matter.
Here are some of Leary’s comments that are attracting discussion:
On student claims that their tuition requires her to pay attention: She responded that she does care about their opinions but because they are students, not consumers. “The natural and logical extension of your premise is that students on a full scholarship are not entitled to assert their needs and desires to the same extent as other students (or maybe even at all).
Law professor responds to students who complained about her Black Lives Matter shirt (Inside Higher Ed | News)
Comments
There are a number of things wrong here. When did wearing a T-shirt become proper attire for professors? What possesses students thinking that paying tuition empowers them to have a say? The say comes before agreeing to attend the school and not after. The woman does have the right to express her opinion no matter how foolish it might be and the students need to realize that it isn’t their job to correct everything they find offensive. Don’t like the atmosphere, then transfer to another school.
It’s funny because I just read her critique of their memo. If you remove a few key identifying words and replace them with the Confederate Flag and Southern Heritage, you could easily make the same argument as she does for BLM.
Students attend this university to learn the law not to be indoctrinated with BLM lies. Wearing a BLM shirt is the same as wearing a KKK or Nazi uniform. It is espousing hatred of whites, murder of police and disrespect for the law. The vast majority of the members of the BLM are criminals and progressive fascists advocating that the police not bother them while their robbing, raping, assaulting, dealing, murdering and rioting..