Statement in Support of the GU BLSA

Yesterday, a video surfaced on Twitter of two Georgetown Law Center professors, Sandra Sellers and David Batson, discussing the academic performance of students in their co-taught class. In that video, Sellers singled out the Black racial identity of students she perceived as performing worse than other non-Black students. In so doing, she perpetuated damaging, racist stereotypes and engaged in the racial essentialism that forms the foundation of anti-Black racism in educational institutions. That conduct is unacceptable and we condemn her words and actions, which are antithetical to the mission and philosophy of Georgetown University and the Program in Educational Transformation. We applaud the University’s decision to remove her from her teaching position.

We also are disappointed that Batson did not contest or challenge her statement directly and clearly, and we urge him to address the matter directly with his students. Fighting anti-Black racism requires that all of us confront racist acts head on. As an educational institution, Georgetown must demonstrate leadership in the fight against racism, particularly within our community.

We stand with the Georgetown Black Law Students Association.