At least two dozen high-profile jobs and shows fall to social justice movement in wake of George Floyd’s death

Top editors at the New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Bon Appetit, Refinery29, and Variety have resigned or have been placed on leave amid demands for equality.

An opinion editor at the New York Times, James Bennet, resigned last week following the publication of an op-ed from Sen. Tom Cotton that called for the federal government to send the military to cities across the country to crack down on riots.

“The journalism of Times Opinion has never mattered more than in this time of crisis at home and around the world, and I’ve been honored to be part of it. I’m so proud of the work my colleagues and I have done to focus attention on injustice and threats to freedom and to enrich debate about the right path forward by bringing new voices and ideas to Times readers,” Bennet, who was the editor since 2016, said in a statement.

Another editor at the New York Times, deputy editorial page editor Jim Dao, was reassigned following the op-ed’s publication, which was said to have gone through a “rushed editorial process.”

Stan Wischnowski, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s executive editor, resigned after running a headline that was a play on Black Lives Matter that read, “Buildings Matter, Too,” regarding rioters destroying property in the City of Brotherly Love.

The editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit, Adam Rapoport, resigned after a photo of him and his wife dressed in brownface for Halloween in 2013 surfaced. Rapoport said he would take the time following his resignation “to reflect on the work that I need to do as a human being and allow Bon Appetit to get to a better place.”

The photo’s circulation prompted employees to speak out against the publication’s alleged “toxic” culture, in what assistant food editor Sohla El-Waylly described as “systematic racism that runs rampant within Conde Nast as a whole.”

At Refinery29, Christene Barberich, the editor and co-founder, stepped down after employees said the outlet discriminated against employees of color. Former employees used #BlackAtR29 to denounce Barberich’s management and to vocalize their experiences with pay gaps and a lack of opportunities at the company.

The editor-in-chief of Variety, Claudia Eller, is taking a two-month administrative leave after posting a piece decrying a lack of diversity at the publication and vowing to make changes. Following the story’s publication, she had a heated exchange with a former employee of South Asian descent, Piya Sinha-Roy. Employees said Eller’s exchange, where she called Sinha-Roy “bitter,” was inappropriate, and she was placed on leave.

In academia, a number of professors at colleges such as the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of Chicago, and Cornell University have been placed on leave or have been demanded by students and others to be fired following commentary on the Black Lives Matter movement or for speaking of racial issues amid protests.

Two lecturers at UCLA have come under fire for reported racial insensitivity and have been placed on leave while investigations are conducted.

Gordon Klein, an accounting lecturer, had his classes “reassigned to other faculty” as the school investigates his response to a student requesting an exam be postponed amid Floyd protests.

“Thanks for your suggestion in your email below that I give black students special treatment, given the tragedy in Minnesota,” Klein answered the student’s request in an email. “Do you know the names of the classmates that are black? How can I identify them since we’ve been having online classes only? Are there any students that may be of mixed parentage, such as half black-half Asian? What do you suggest I do with respect to them? A full concession or just half?”

“Remember that MLK famously said that people should not be evaluated based on the ‘color of their skin,'” the email continued. “Do you think that your request would run afoul of MLK’s admonition?”

UCLA launched another investigation into white lecturer W. Ajax Peris, who read Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which contains the N-word, to students.

“The lecturer also showed a portion of a documentary which included graphic images and descriptions of lynching, with a narrator who quoted the n-word in explaining the history of lynching. Many students expressed distress and anger regarding the lecture and the lecturer’s response to their concerns during the lecture,” an email from the political science chairman to students read. “We share students’ concerns that the lecturer did not simply pause and reassess their teaching pedagogy to meet the students’ needs.”

A recording of the reading also circulated online.

Cornell students demanded a chemistry professor lose his job after he posted a tweet saying video footage of a Floyd protester in Buffalo, New York, being pushed by police and then falling to the ground was not an example of police brutality. David Collum stepped down from his position as the director of undergraduate studies over the weekend following the backlash.

University of Chicago economist Harald Uhlig, who is the head editor of the Journal of Political Economy, faced pressure to resign following tweets comparing Black Lives Matter to “flat-earthers and creationists.” The tweets prompted fellow economist Paul Krugman to say Uhlig is “yet another privileged white man who evidently can’t control his urge to belittle the concerns of those less fortunate.”

The Poetry Foundation announced this week that its president and its board chairman are resigning. President Henry Bienen and board chairman Willard Bunn III left their posts for publishing a “worse than the bare minimum” statement showing support for black people.

The June 3 post read, “The Poetry Foundation and Poetry magazine stand in solidarity with the Black community, and denounce injustice and systemic racism. As an organization we recognize that there is much work to be done, and we are committed to engaging in this work to eradicate institutional racism. We acknowledge that real change takes time and dedication, and we are committed to making this a priority.”

More than 1,000 poets signed a letter claiming the organization’s response was inadequate and called for personnel changes, among other demands.

Resignations have also hit the sports world, with a soccer player and a veteran NBA play-by-play announcer out of jobs.

Aleksandar Katai, a soccer player for the Los Angeles Galaxy, was released from the team in June after his wife posted “racist and violent” messages on social media.

“The LA Galaxy strongly condemned the social posts and requested their immediate removal. The LA Galaxy stands firmly against racism of any kind, including that which suggests violence or seeks to demean the efforts of those in pursuit of racial equality,” the team said in response.

In the NBA, announcer Grant Napear, who has called NBA games since 1988, resigned from the Sacramento Kings last week following a tweet that read, “Hey!!!! How are you? Thought you forgot about me. Haven’t heard from you in years. ALL LIVES MATTER…EVERY SINGLE ONE!!!”

The tweet was criticized as being insensitive to Black Lives Matter, and Napear apologized for the message, saying, “I had no idea that when I said, ‘All Lives Matter,’ that it was counter to what BLM was trying to get across. I’m in pain. I’m 60 years old, and I still have a lot to learn.”

The spate of resignations and firings have also affected Hollywood, with reality stars and actors out of jobs, and movies and TV shows being pulled from streaming platforms.

MTV reality star Dee Nguyen was fired from the channel after saying, “People die every f—ing day,” in response to Floyd’s death. She has since apologized for the comments.

“I want to sincerely apologize to my fellow cast members, the production crew at Bunin-Murray and the staff at MTV for my choice of words and actions in the most recent events,” she said on Wednesday. “What was stated wasn’t meant to be hurtful or discriminatory in any matter. It was a knee jerk of a reaction and it’s certainly not the way that I feel nor what I meant.”

Actor Hartley Sawyer of The Flash was fired from the show for a 2012 tweet reading, “The only thing keeping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me,” and another from 2014 that read, “Enjoyed a secret boob viewing at an audition today.”

“Hartley Sawyer will not be returning for Season 7 of ‘The Flash,’” a network statement read. “In regards to Mr. Sawyer’s posts on social media, we do not tolerate derogatory remarks that target any race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation.”

MTV cut ties with Teen Mom star Taylor Selfridge for a tweet saying, “We have to greet everyone at work but sometimes I won’t greet the Black people because they scare me,” and, “My uncle is dating an Asian. Aunt Ping please make me sushi.”

“MTV pulled [the special] … and is ending our relationship with Taylor Selfridge in light of her past racist statements on social media,” an MTV spokesperson told People. “MTV strongly condemns systemic racism and stands with those raising their voices against injustice.”

Lifetime reality show Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller was fired from the network over allegations she told a 9-year-old girl, “I know you grew up in the hood with only a box of eight crayons, but I grew up in the country club with a box of 64.”

A writer for Law & Order, Craig Gore, was fired from an upcoming series spinoff after posting a picture of himself holding a gun with the caption “Curfew…” amid protests and riots that spread across the country.

Reality show Vanderpump Rules also cut four stars due to past social media posts or behavior.

Movies and TV shows have also been pulled from streaming sites for reasons of race, including Gone with the Wind from HBO Max for “racist depictions.” BBC’s Little Britain was removed from Netflix and other streaming platforms for using blackface in comedy routines.

CEO of The Wing, a co-working space organization for the “professional, civic, social, and economic advancement of women,” resigned this week over allegations of “systemic” mistreatment of people of color. Critics and employees of the organization, however, are saying that Audrey Gelman’s resignation is “not enough,” and have issued a list of demands.

“We are frustrated and saddened by the incompetence and lack of accountability demonstrated time and time again by The Wing’s leadership,” a statement from walkout organizers reads. “Last year, our co-founders admitted that their own biases, blind spots, willful ignorance, and conscious decision to prioritize growth led to a dysfunctional company structure and have had a lasting impact on the performance of our business.”.

Floyd died on Memorial Day after officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Chauvin was fired from the police force and charged with second-degree murder. The three other officers who were involved in detaining Floyd were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting murder.

Though many of the protests surrounding his death have been peaceful, violent riots also broke out, most notably in New York City.

Some New York police officers were attacked, including one who was struck by a hit-and-run driver, one who was beaten in the Bronx, and another who was “nearly killed” when a brick was thrown at him.

The New York Police Department reported that hundreds of officers were injured during the protests. Former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard Kerik said hundreds more were planning to leave the force.