A university adviser is suing after being fired for calling a black conservative commentator a “house negro,” claiming the phrase falls under protected speech.
Aysha Khanom lost her advisory role at Leeds Beckett University’s Centre for Race, Education, and Decoloniality after her charity organization, the Race Trust, tweeted the remark about British commentator, Calvin Robinson. The school is in West Yorkshire, England.
“@calvinrobinson does it not shame you that most people see you as a house negro,” the Race Trust tweeted.
Khanom is claiming that her being fired for the tweet is a form of discrimination against her political perspective. Professor Kehinde Andrews is supporting her in the case, arguing that the term “house Negro” is not a racial slur but instead a “concept that comes out of struggles for racial justice.”
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Aysha Khanom is not an employee of Leeds Beckett University and we have terminated all association with immediate effect. The university strongly condemns the use of racist language. We stand united against racism and in our support for anyone who experiences racism.
— Leeds Beckett (@leedsbeckett) February 15, 2021
Robinson explained the attacks he receives for being a black conservative during an interview on BBC’s The Big Question.
“For example, I have been called Bounty, Uncle Tom, house Negro for not having the right opinion,” he said.
Khanom said she was the target of a “network of alt-right activists” on a fundraising page meant to raise money for her legal fees.
“On 14th February 2021, a network of alt-right activists targeted me after a tweet was sent to Calvin Robinson, an ‘anti woke’ campaigner, from the account of my organisation, The Race Trust. The tweet repeated an allegation that had been made during a televised interview, asking a question, repetition of a term used by Calvin Robinson,” the page read.
The tweet was not sent by Khanom, so she does not deserve to be fired in such a public way, she said.
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“No academic should find their contract terminated so publicly in the absence of a fair and thorough investigation,” she said.
“LBU’s conduct towards me suggests that academics should be looking over their shoulder before they make statements about Israel and Palestine, or about critical race theory. That is why this case and LBU’s role in it is not just about me and my reputation as an anti-racist,” Khanom’s fundraising page continued. “Fundamentally, this is an important issue of freedom of speech.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Race Trust for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
