A former professor at Essex County College was indefinitely suspended two days after her heated appearance on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
Lisa Durden was told that she had to cancel her classes and report to Essex County College’s human resources department two days after a June 6 appearance on the prime time Fox News show. School officials then indefinitely suspended her.
“They did this to humiliate me,” Durden told The Star-Ledger. “Essex County College publicly lynched me in front of my students.”
Durden went off on the show in defense of a black-only Memorial Day party organized by Black Lives Matter, dodging a direct question from Carlson on whether it’s okay to exclude people based on race.
“I thought the whole point of Black Lives Matter, or one of the points, would be to speak out against singling people out on the basis of their race and punishing them for that — because you can’t control what your race is — and yet they seem to be doing that. Explain that to me,” Tucker said.
“What I say to that is boo hoo hoo you white people are angry because you couldn’t use your white privilege card to get invited to the Black Lives Matters, all black, Memorial Day celebration,” Durden replied, cutting off Carlson.
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“White folks crack me up,” she said. “All of a sudden, when we want one day for black folks to focus on ourselves but you’ve been having white days for ever, you don’t say the words anymore because you know its politically incorrect.”
After the show, Durden received a letter from the vice president for academic affairs at Essex County College, informing her that she was suspended “until further notice.”
The letter doesn’t mention the appearance on Carlson’s show, but Durden said that it was brought up several times throughout a meeting between her and the HR department. In this meeting, Karen Bridgett, the assistant director of HR, told Durden that someone “complained” about her association with the college during the television show appearance.
“There’s got to be some other agenda,” Leslie Farber, Durden’s attorney told The Star-Ledger. “It seems to me they’re going to make up some reason. We’ve got to figure out what that is and why. Is she too outspoken?”
“The college promotes a community of unity that is inclusive of all,” a brief statement that Essex County College gave to The Star-Ledger said. “The general counsel has handled this matter in a way that complies with New Jersey state law. I am not at liberty to provide further detail.”
Essex County College did not respond to a request for comment from The Daily Caller News Foundation.
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