College Probes Professor After 'Black Privilege' Remarks

University of Central Florida looking into complaints of bias against Charles Negy
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 5, 2020 10:16 AM CDT
College Probes Professor After 'Black Privilege' Remarks
In this Sept. 24, 2014, photo, students are seen outside the then-CFE Arena at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla.   (AP Photo/John Raoux)

A longtime tenured psychology professor at the University of Central Florida is under fire after a series of online posts. Per the New York Times, Negy, who has written a book about "white Americans under siege," recently put up multiple tweets that he acknowledged "will infuriate folks." Among them, this: "Black privilege is real: Besides affirm. action, special scholarships and other set asides, being shielded from legitimate criticism is a privilege. But as a group, they're missing out on much needed feedback." His Twitter feed is filled with similarly race-themed posts. "We have been receiving complaints alleging bias and unfair treatment in Dr. Negy's classroom" and are investigating that and his tweets, the university's president, Alexander N. Cartwright, and other officials say in a letter to the campus community.

FOX 35 reports students and alumni are calling for Negy's firing, with many using the #UCFFIREHIM hashtag; more than 15,000 so far have signed a petition asking the college to can him, per the New York Post. The Orange County NAACP's president wants the same. "We're struggling every day for equality, so there is no black privilege," says Beverlye Neal. Negy thinks the reaction is overblown. "People are afraid to say anything negative about blacks thanks to political correctness, which is a privilege they have," he says. He does admit the timing of his posts wasn't ideal, considering the current protests over the death of George Floyd. Meanwhile, in a Twitter post, the university notes that while Negy's tweets are "completely counter to UCF's values," it has to run the investigation into him "while being mindful of the First Amendment." (More University of Central Florida stories.)

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