0:34
- ABC News
- June 21, 2020
Student asked to change her
Professor who asked her to "Anglicize" her name placed on administrative leave.
Laney College issued a statement not long after the exchange between Hubbard and Nguyen that acknowledges allegations of \"racist and xenophobic messages from a faculty member\" who is now on \"administrative leave,\" but did not name Hubbard specifically.
“On the surface this incident is obviously disturbing and comes after decades of discussing and working to combat structural racism, xenophobia, and violence in both the Black and Asian Pacific Islander community,” said Dr. Tammeil Gilkerson, president of Laney College, in a statement posted on the college’s website. “While our mission has been bold and unrelenting, we also recognize that our college and its community is a reflection of broader society and we must actively fight ignorance with education. We do not tolerate racism, discrimination or oppression of any kind. . . . We take these allegations seriously and immediately placed the faculty member on administrative leave pending an investigation.”
The uproar sparked Hubbard to post an apology on Twitter but, as of Sunday morning, he has taken his Twitter page down completely. Nguyen told ABC News that Hubbard also sent her an email apologizing for his behavior but she felt the apology was \"vague and insincere.\"
When ABC News contacted Hubbard for a comment, he referred to the statement he made to The New York Times on June 21, in which he called his first email a mistake. “But it’s a big difference with someone doing it voluntarily and asking someone to do it. The second email is very offensive, and if I had waited eight hours, I would’ve written something very different,\" Hubbard said in his interview with the Times.
Nguyen said she spent time on Friday speaking with the vice president of Laney College and feels satisfied with the school’s response in spite of the “ignorant person not trying to learn her name.” She still plans to use her legal name going forward, which includes her mother's last name and in Vietnamese means “happiness blessing,” she added.
Nguyen told ABC News she hoped her experience can empower people to honor their heritage. \"People should be proud of their names and culture; they shouldn't change it because of someone else.\"
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