A former Howard University student expelled from the school is suing the historically black college and university, alleging racial discrimination and creating a hostile learning environment.
The $2 million lawsuit by Michael Newman, who is white, makes several claims the school is not as inclusive as it boasts.
Newman attended the HBCU from December 2019 until September 2022 to study law at Howard University’s School of Law. During that time, he claims he felt “utterly disenfranchised, ostracized, humiliated and vilified,” according to his lawsuit.
His problems began during a class discussion in the lead up to the 2020 election. He said in a message, “Where I part with the Black community is where they believe government solves problems, I only see it causing problems,” Newman wrote.
He went on to say Black voters didn’t question turning to the government for solutions to problems. He also claimed Black voters voting for the same political party every election cycle “disincentivized” Democrats and Republicans from responding to issues important to African-Americans.
Newman’s comments ignited a months-long onslaught of backlash from his fellow classmates. He claims his classmates found his remarks offensive. Newman then claimed he apologized and asked to better understand why his comments were so problematic to his predominantly Black classmates.
The lawsuit claims the response from his classmates caused him to be removed from the online group chat used for class-related discussion. He said he felt “anxiety and depression” and possessed “suicidal thoughts” as a result of the ridicule he received from his class peers.
Newman tried to remedy his relationship with his peers in a four-part letter explaining his apology and line of thinking for why he suggested Black voters over relied on the government. The response was swiftly rejected by students who called his letter a “manifesto,” and he was nicknamed the…
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