Correction appended

Controversy over allegedly sexist remarks made by Prof. Grant Farred, Africana and English, was reignited this week after he was appointed to chair the department’s faculty search committee. Backing a letter circulated on Thursday by an anonymous group called “Sojourner Tubman Collective,” students and Prof. Margaret Washington, history and American studies, condemned Africana leadership and called for the immediate removal of Farred from the committee, to which he was appointed on Sept. 14. 

Prof. David Harris, sociology — one of two Arts and Sciences senior associate deans appointed in August to oversee Africana after former director Prof. Robert Harris Jr. resigned in protest — defended the department against the complaints by “anonymous alleged students.”

“I was saddened that, yet again, an individual or group is trying to sabotage the plans of a majority of Africana’s faculty to make great faculty hires, which will be key to realizing an enhanced future for Africana,” he said.

Farred lost his position as director of graduate studies in Africana following an investigation of an incident in February 2010, when he allegedly called two black graduate students “black bitches.” Farred declined to comment regarding both the 2010 incident and his recent appointment.

In their response to the letter, Harris and co-director of Africana Prof. Elizabeth Adkins-Regan, psychology and biology, wrote that the group’s “emphasis on the search committee chair implies that the role entails more prestige and authority than is actually the case.” The position is an “administrative service, not a reward or honor,” they stated.

Furthermore, Harris said the decision to appoint Farred was discussed with Africana faculty, who share final authority to determine who will be interviewed or hired with the committee, when the committee was formed.

“Students, alumni, community leaders and others are not privy to the substance of these daily interactions, just as they are not privy to the substance of internal discussions in other units,” Harris said.

But some within the Africana community denounced Farred’s appointment and criticized University leaders for their decision.

“The Arts and Sciences deans made an unwise decision by appointing someone whose comments are so controversial, so backward and so disrespectful toward black women in particular and all women in general,” Washington said. “It appears to me as indefensible as it does to the women students who bonded together to write the letter of protest.”

Washington said that, as a woman, she empathizes with the individuals who wrote the letter.

“I feel their pain as a scholar so very familiar with the historical stereotyping, devaluation and demoralization of women,” Washington said. “I feel their pain as a black woman when I think of the volatile gender issues that preceded the founding, over forty years ago, of the now recently dismantled Africana Center,” she said, referring to an incident in which a burning cross was placed in front of a black female cooperative residence in 1969, shortly before the Willard Straight Takeover.

Several students joined Washington in condemning Farred’s appointment, criticizing the University for condoning Farred’s comments.

“By appointing this man to this leadership position, it’s saying that his comments were acceptable. I would like to think that that’s not the message that Cornell would like to send,” said Ashley Harrington ’13, a member of the Cornell Women’s Resource Center advisory board.

While not explicitly calling for Farred’s removal, Harrington said that Farred’s appointment is a “divisive force” that undermines the status of black women in the Africana department.

“These were very professional black students, and this professor comes up to them and calls them ‘black bitches.’ It tells you that you can have black women who are very educated and eloquent [but are] still considered a black bitch, an object,” she said.

Zach Murray grad, former co-president of Black Students United and an Africana studies major, said that the University’s failure to properly address Farred’s comments showed its complicity at large in sexism against women.

“Two women were called a really ugly comment publicly by a member of the faculty and the University did nothing; they sat on their hands while the whole thing happened,” he said. “I don’t think the University actively supports sexism, but [it] inactively supports it by doing nothing. If you’re silent on an issue, you’re confirming it.”

Harris said that Farred’s remarks were “highly offensive and highly regrettable” and that his appointment did not condone the incident.

“Professor Farred’s selection as search committee chair does not reflect any ignorance on our part about this incident,” Harris said. “Rather, it reflects that Africana has a small faculty [with] only seven tenured professors … and that despite the February 2010 incident, Professor Farred continues to demonstrate the scholarly credentials … that led us to enthusiastically recruit him,” he said.

He further defended Farred by noting that, in the previous 20 months, no complaints have been lodged about Farred’s language or treatment of students based on their race or gender.

Still others raised concerns about the environment for black women on campus.

"I definitely don’t think Cornell is a safe place for women of color … I don’t think it’s a place that lets them be heard,” said Khamila Alebiosu ’13, an executive board member of ALANA, a multicultural programming organization.

Like Murray, Alebiosu said that Cornell could have brought more attention to Farred’s comments. She characterized the University’s atmosphere for women of color as “patriarchal, hierarchical” and one of “cultural marginalization.”

“A lot of the people who take leadership roles in the University’s diversity initiatives are women of color, but I don’t think the campus as an institution has made it an open place where those people are recognized,” Alebiosu said.

In addition to saying the University fails to acknowledge its women leaders, Alebiosu said that the University does not speak ofter enough about issues affecting women of color.

“There’s a lack of support; a lot of people feel unsafe, and we don’t do enough to validate their voices,” she said, calling for increased efforts in encouraging women of color to speak up.

Recognizing the need to facilitate community discussion on the matter, Rebecca John ’14, another member of the WRC’s advisory board, said a safe space needs to be created for women of color to talk about sexism — an outlet she said Cornell currently lacks.

“I think it shows ... that within communities of color, we’re dealing with sexism that’s not being addressed,” John said.

Despite the contention expressed by members of the Africana community, Harris said the department must be allowed to continue its faculty recruitment efforts.

“We, and a large majority of the Africana faculty, are focused on conducting a successful search ... We would like individuals outside the Africana faculty to let us move forward,” he said.

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that "Harris said the decision to appoint Farred was made after working closely with Africana faculty." Instead, Harris said the decision to appoint Farred was discussed with Africana faculty when the committee was formed.