An Arizona university professor has been suspended over controversial comments he made about Black Lives Matter activists nearly a year ago.
Professor Toby Jennings of Grand Canyon University ignited a firestorm recently after the university posted a link to a ministry forum from last September in which he said that some members in the Black Lives Matter group “should be hung.”
“They are saying things that are not helpful in any shape or form or human dignity or flourishing,” the African-American professor said during the forum, which was videotaped.
GCU officials told Fox 10 Phoenix that Jennings was advised that his comments during the forum, called “God’s concern for the poor: What’s missing in social justice,” were offensive, but it was not brought up to the school’s top executives.
However, members of the Black Lives Matter movement were outraged when it was shared recently.
In response, Jennings was suspended for the upcoming fall semester. He has also apologized.
Members of the BLM movement told Fox 10 Phoenix that the school’s response was not enough.
“My heart is broken, not because GCU is our enemy, but they claim to be our brothers and sisters,” said Pastor Warren Stewart, Jr. “Brothers and sisters please stop avoiding talking about ways racism … makes us uncomfortable.”
Brian Mueller, president of Grand Canyon University, said the critics of the school in this case are wrong.
“It was terribly wrong, but it is an isolated incident and it does not represent who our faculty is and it does not represent who are students are,” he said.