July 22nd 2023.
Dr. Tabia Lee, a former tenured faculty member at Foothill-De Anza Community College in Cupertino, California, was recently fired for being the "wrong type of Black person." According to Newsweek, Lee had taken issue with certain aspects of the college's approach to race and gender, such as not using the term "Latinx" and questioning why "Black" was capitalized and "white" was not.
In addition, Lee had also reportedly tried to bring a "Jewish inclusion" event to campus, and disrespected a Black Lives Matter movement founder. Lee said in an interview with the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism that she had received a lot of resistance when she had asked questions about anti-racism policies.
The legal complaint against the community college detailed that the college had notified Lee that she was being let go because she "refused to knuckle under to campus orthodoxy," which Lee may have interpreted as "not woke enough." Attorney Leigh Ann O'Neill said, according to Inside Higher Ed, that Lee was fostering open inquiry and diverse viewpoints among the students she taught.
U.S. News and World Report noted that the campus is made up of a variety of racial and ethnic demographics, including Hispanic/Latino, white, and Black or African American students. In light of this, the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism tweeted that Lee's work is especially important, as she is "serving our California community colleges and keep[ing] them as safe spaces for academic freedom & freedom of expression."
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