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Sacramento State Black Student Union president: Fire professor for wife’s racist outburst

The president of the Sacramento State Black Student Union wants the school to fire a professor … because his wife used racist language that was caught on video.

Economics professor Tim Ford and his wife were recorded arguing with their neighbors earlier this month. During the imbroglio, Ford’s wife Crystal “use[d] racial slurs multiple times” and called the person recording the incident a “bitch.”

For his part, the professor touted his bigwig credentials: “I’m a professor at Sac State, dude. I have a Ph.D. I don’t need to be dealing with shit like this.”

At the end of the video, Tim chucks his drink at the neighbors’ window.

According to the target of the couple’s anger, she and the Fords “fight every day.” The alleged catalyst for this particular incident was the neighbor cooking bacon, the smell of which ticked off Mrs. Ford.

In a “virtual town hall” on Tuesday, Sacramento State BSU President Adwoa Akyianu called for Professor Ford’s ouster.

According to The State Hornet, Akyianu dismissed Sac State President Robert Nelsen’s apology for an initial statement in which he said the school would no longer discuss the matter due to personnel issues. In that statement, Nelsen also said he was “deeply offended” and “incredibly upset” by the video, and said the school was investigating.

“I think my community is done accepting apologies,” Akyianu said. She wants an “action-oriented” apology which includes Ford’s firing, “a zero-tolerance racism policy to set precedent for future incidents of racism,” and mandated “cultural responsiveness training that students.”

Akyianu added the incident also involves what she dubbed “racial taxation” — “time spent rectifying racial issues [which] takes time away from her studies.”

White students don’t have to deal with that, she said.

From the story:

“For every moment that I have to address my community, for every meeting that I have to organize and be in, is every moment that my white counterparts were studying for finals, every moment that they could dedicate to their academic success that we don’t get the privilege to,” Akyianu said.

Teiahsha Bankhead, associate professor of social work, read a statement from the division of social work condemning Ford.

“The culture and climate of Sac State is now being seen as a hostile place for students of color who are not able to receive a fair chance and equitable education — directly due to professors who abject biases and prejudices and who so willfully engage in racist and oppressive behaviors,” Bankhead said.

Sac State Diversity Officer Diana Vermeire agreed with Bankhead, noting “students’ concerns that the video represents a larger issue of racism on campus.”

An entire university is a “hostile” and “racist” place … because of one professor’s spouse?

Vice President of Academic Affairs Steve Perez reiterated President Nelsen’s original point about confidentiality in the matter, saying “[W]hether or not the allegations have been sustained are confidential and […] Sac State is limited in what information it can release to complainants.”

Read the article.

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About the Author
Associate Editor
Dave has been writing about education, politics, and entertainment for over 20 years, including a stint at the popular media bias site Newsbusters. He is a retired educator with over 25 years of service and is a member of the National Association of Scholars. Dave holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Delaware.