4 minute read
Hamline under fire for dismissing professor
What was thought to be a well-precautioned and harmless choice in the name of education instead led to an unexpected turn of events that cost one professor her job.
Dr. Erika López Prater of Hamline University decided that as a part of her Global Arts History class curriculum, she was to show the painting “Compendium of Chronicles” to further teach her class about the history of Islam. She felt that showing the painting was essential to her class and according to the New York Times, she stated that without displaying the painting to the class, it would be the equivalent of “[...] not teaching Michaelangelo’s David.”
However, the painting contained imagery of the Prophet Muhammad, meaning that it went against the beliefs of many Muslims, as the Quran prohibits them from viewing any form of imagery of him. Knowing ahead of time that showing the painting would go against the religion of many of her students, Dr. López Prater attempted to make efforts to prepare any students whose religious beliefs it would go against. According to her, the class syllabus made students aware of the showing of the painting and as the semester progressed, no students reached out to her with concerns regarding the painting. dents and most notably, pinned the Muslim community against each other, as according to the Vimal Patel of the New York Times, “Some Muslims distinguish between respectful depictions and mocking caricatures, while others do not subscribe to the restriction at all.” that all members of our community hold in trust. I hope this changes,” she stated.
Mercedes Yarbrough is an educator and author of two comic books, the most famous being “Black to the Future”, whose goal is to inspire and enlighten youth through graphic novels and exposure to historical and modern Black inventors. She has experience working in Special Education and has served as a Freedom School Servant Leader Intern. Currently, Yarbrough is working in the St. Paul Public School District.
And so, Dr. López Prater exhibited the image, giving a warning to the class a few minutes before doing so. After the class, a senior student in the class took action against the professor with the support of other students, saying that Prater’s actions were Islamophobic. Serious actions were then taken and Dr. López Prater was informed that she had been dismissed. However, Prater’s dismissal sparked controversy among stu-
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On Jan. 13, Hamline released an official statement by President Fayneese S. Miller, stating “To suggest that the university does not respect academic freedom is absurd on its face. Hamline is a liberal arts institution, the oldest in Minnesota, the first to admit women, and now led by a woman of color. To deny the precepts upon which academic freedom is based would be to undermine our foundational principles.” Later on in the statement, she expressed that “It is far easier to criticize, from the security of our computer screens, than it is to have to make the hard decisions that serve the interests of the entire campus community,” in response to several disputes about the matter. “What disappoints me the most is that little has been said regarding the needs and concerns of our students
Due to the wide range of beliefs, it is hard to reach a consensus on the situation, “Degree of belief can vary greatly, which poses the question: how do you address an issue those affected are divided on?” sophomore Aarushi Bahadur said. “From what I understand, everything comes down to one pivotal moment, one that I remain questioning: why did the Muslim student choose to remain silent when asked beforehand whether anyone preferred not to see the image?” Bahadur concluded. “I do not believe the student was completely to blame, nor do I believe the teacher was; rather, for the academics, this calls for a reckoning,” and that, “Instead of a college firing to save face, the gates of academia need to be opened up to discussion of how to better support those who feel victimized by the status quo, and to let them know that they have options. This event should have led to greater inclusivity. Instead, it got a teacher fired.” story continued on pg. 2
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Destiny Roberts is the owner of the brand DezzyRaww and is a driven hip-hop/soul musical artist. Roberts showcases her bright personality through her passionate music making. Roberts earned a 2019 Netflix placement for ‘The Jungle,’ and a Spotify placement in the ‘What’s Good’ playlist.
Ebony Yarbrough is an fashion entrepreneur who opened three clothing stores across the Twin Cities. With the initial goal of discovering each woman’s uniqueness through beauty and fashion, Yarbrough’s business of selling women’s club attire eventually grew into her clothing company Bougies Boutique.
As a behavior specialist, Mercedes Yarbrough interacts with students that often struggle the most at school. “I take pride in my job, and I’m going to make [learning] fun for these kids. And I love art — being creative, goofy, and fun,” Mercedes Yarbrough said.
As a part of her work with younger students and working to educate them on black history, Mercedes Yarbrough created Black to the Future, a comic book that presents both past and present Black entrepreneurs and inventors as well as black-owned businesses in Minnesota.
Senior Leona Barocas enjoyed the overall focus on Black power and voices during the assembly and the way that Black to the Future brings attention to joy and success in Black history.
“I think a big focus of Black to the Future was rewriting the narrative and saying, like, it’s not just slavery and the civil rights movement, look at all these other things that have brought people of color to where they are now. And I felt like we didn’t get to learn that material. We were just told that it existed,” Barocas said.
story continued on pg. 3
