Two Emory Law School Professors Accused of Using Racial Slurs in Class

Two professors at the Emory University School of Law have been accused of using racial slurs in the classroom.

According to a report by the Emory student newspaper, two professors at the Emory University School of Law have been accused of using the “n-word” during classroom lectures.

One professor, who is Native-American, claims that he used the racial slur during a conversation about offensive language.

Saunooke, who is a citizen of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the president of the National Native American Bar Association, said he was trying to illuminate demeaning and racist terms used to describe Native Americans during his Sept. 9 class. He told his class that “sand [N-word]” and “red [N-word]” were common racist descriptors used by white Americans to label Native Americans.

After Professor Saunooke faced criticism from the Emory community, he issued an apology. “I continue to be very much willing to do whatever is necessary to keep that dialogue, that discourse open,” Saunooke said. “I’m apologetic, but at the same time, the reality for my people is that our history is ugly and tainted and bloody and I don’t filter it because I want it to have the same impact it has on me.”

Last year, Emory School of Law Professor Paul J. Zweir II used a racial slur when teaching a court case about discrimination. Students alleged that Zweir used the “n-word” to illustrate the tort of offensive battery.

“The teaching point was to say that the racial slur makes the nature of the contact less important, until it might merge into another tort we will study called intentional infliction of emotional distress,” Zwier said at the time. “The case is not about condoning racial speech, but the opposite, the potential injury that can be caused by racist language and how the court might address it in tort law.”

In August, Breitbart News reported that a professor at the New School in New York City was facing an investigation for saying the “n-word” while quoting a black author’s use of the word. The professor was ultimately cleared of wrongdoing after an investigation.