A Princeton professor has “reluctantly” canceled his “freedom of speech” course after being making headlines for uttering the word “nigger” during a lecture.
Professor Lawrence Rosen, who taught a course titled “Anthropology 212: Cultural Freedoms: Hate Speech, Blasphemy, and Pornography,” sent an email to his students informing them of the course cancellation.
“I think it only fair that you be free, before too much of the semester has passed, to move ahead in another course of your choosing,” Rosen wrote in the tersely worded email.
The Daily Princetonian reports the professor used the racial slur twice before students interrupted him.
“All the black students were looking at each other, as if asking whether he actually said that,” student Destiny Salter told The Daily Princetonian.
Malachi Byrd, a black, third-year student (pictured left), asked Rosen if he was going to keep using the n-word during class.
“Yes, if I think it’s necessary,” Rosen replied, according to the Princetonian.
Another witness claimed a male student stood up and approached Rosen, yelling “FUCK YOU,” in his face. A female student of color then shouted at Rosen, “do you feel safe right now?”
Bryd and several other black students walked out of class, but they eventually returned and demanded an apology.
“I don’t think I need to apologize; I did not oppress anyone,” said Rosen.
Senior Devyn Holliday told the university paper that Rosen defended his use of the word after the students walked out.
“It’s supposed to deliver a gut punch, so that’s why I used it,” Rosen reportedly said.
Calls and emails to Rosen went unreturned according to the Weekly Standard.
