WASHINGTON — An adjunct law professor at Georgetown Law Center has been fired after being caught on camera making racially insensitive comments.
In the recorded Zoom video, Professor Sandra Sellers is heard having a conversation evaluating students.
In the video, which has been viewed more than 467,000 times on Twitter, Professor Sellers said, “I hate to say this but…I end up having this angst every semester that a lot of my lower ones are Blacks.”
Bill Treanor, Dean of Georgetown Law Center, released a statement calling the content of the conversation “abhorrent” and “has no place in our educational community.” Dean Treanor’s full statement can be read here.
"I have further reviewed the incident and have now spoken to Professor Sellers and Professor Batson, giving each the opportunity to provide any additional context," Treanor said in his statement. "I informed Professor Sellers that I was terminating her relationship with Georgetown Law effective immediately."
Treanor noted that Sellers told him she intended to resign. The professor that Sellers was speaking to, David Batson, has been placed on administrative leave pending further investigation by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action.
"This is by no means the end of our work to address the many structural issues of racism reflected in this painful incident, including explicit and implicit bias, bystander responsibility, and the need for more comprehensive anti-bias training.," Treanor said. "I will be writing to you soon with a range of actions and changes that we will implement to address these issues."
The Georgetown Black Law Students Association released its own statement calling on the removal of Professor Sellers writing “Not a suspension. Not an investigation. The University must take swift and definitive action in the face of blatant and shameless racism.”
FULL STATEMENT FROM THE DEAN ON MARCH 11
To the Georgetown Law Community,
As I wrote to you last night, I am appalled that two members of our faculty engaged in a conversation that included reprehensible statements concerning the evaluation of Black students. I have further reviewed the incident and have now spoken to Professor Sellers and Professor Batson, giving each the opportunity to provide any additional context. I informed Professor Sellers that I was terminating her relationship with Georgetown Law effective immediately. During our conversation, she told me that she had intended to resign. As a result of my decision, Professor Sellers is no longer affiliated with Georgetown Law. Professor Batson has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Affirmative Action, the results of which will inform our next steps. Until the completion of the investigation, Professor Batson will have no further involvement with the course in which the incident arose.
We are taking significant steps to ensure that all students in this class are fairly graded without the input of Professor Sellers or Professor Batson.
This is by no means the end of our work to address the many structural issues of racism reflected in this painful incident, including explicit and implicit bias, bystander responsibility, and the need for more comprehensive anti-bias training. This is a matter of great concern to me. I will be writing to you soon with a range of actions and changes that we will implement to address these issues. I will also send information about a listening session for the Georgetown Law student community that we plan to hold tomorrow.
Sent March 10, 2021
To the Georgetown Law Community,
We learned earlier this week that two members of our faculty engaged in a conversation that included reprehensible statements concerning the evaluation of Black students. We are responding with the utmost seriousness to this situation. I have watched a video of this conversation and find the content to be abhorrent. It includes conduct that has no place in our educational community. We must ensure that all students are treated fairly and evaluated on their merits.
We are taking this incident extremely seriously. Upon hearing of it, I immediately engaged the University’s Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity & Affirmative Action, which is undertaking a thorough investigation. The Law School is also pursuing additional responses and will act swiftly and seriously to address this incident.
I recognize how hurtful this incident is to members of this class, to the members of the Black community, and to members of our community as a whole. I am committed to taking steps to support students through this and to addressing racism and bias wherever they appear. There is no place for bias in our grading process or anywhere in our community.