Black college professor fired after media appearance

A Black professor at Essex County College was fired after she appeared on Fox News defending Black Lives Matter.

Reports indicate that Lisa Durden appeared on Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox News earlier this month when she defended Black Lives Matter holding a Blacks-only Memorial Day celebration. Durden participated in what many are calling a “heated” on-air exchange with Carlson.

“I wasn’t there to play games, I was there to take a bite out of crime,” Durden said in one interview. “When a Black woman’s on television who is direct, who is aggressive, we’re ‘angry.’ Well, when Jeanine Pirro’s on TV pointing and screaming and yelling, she’s ‘intelligent.’ And when Nancy Grace is coming on television, 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?”

Durden was initially suspended for two days. However, the college’s president, Dr. Anthony Munroe, who is Black, claims he received numerous complaints and fired Durden.

“The college was immediately inundated with feedback from students, faculty and prospective students and their families expressing frustration, concern and even fear that the views expressed by a college employee (with influence over students) would negatively impact their experience on the campus,” Munroe said in a statement.

Durden’s attorney said she might have a legal case because of the violation of her First Amendment rights. A petition on change.org to get Durden reinstated has garnered more than 1,800 signatures as of Tuesday.