DURHAM, N.C. — A Duke University professor has responded to criticism about online comments he made regarding African Americans.
The Charlotte Observer reports political science professor Jerry Hough made comments on The New York Times website, where he compared “the blacks” and “the Asians,” writing that Asians “didn’t feel sorry for themselves, but worked doubly hard.”
Hough received criticism for his comments on Twitter and other social media sites. In an email on Friday, Hough said that his comments were misunderstood.
Duke spokesman Michael Schoenfeld distanced the university from the professor’s comments but also pointed out academic freedom provisions in Duke’s Faculty Handbook.
Hough had been prompted to write about a May 9 editorial in The New York Times on the Baltimore riots and underlying factors of segregation and poverty.
