Peterborough, Ont., Mayor Jeff Leal had to apologize after using a racial slur during a guest lecture at Trent University last month.
Leal’s lecture was part of the final exam in a business class, so students were recording his remarks, said Gold Jegede, vice-president of the Trent Central Student Association, to .
“We received several complaints from students regarding the same issue. They attended a class focused on administration management skills,” Jegede explained.
“The mayor was the guest speaker and some comments made during his talk raised concerns.”
“Students found it hard to connect these remarks with course content and felt quite offended that a racial slur made its way into their lesson.”
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hasn’t seen a copy of the mayor’s speech, but according to Arthur, Trent’s student newspaper, Leal stated, “Lyndon Johnson was an F. D. R. New Dealer. He came out of the hills of Texas. He used this language that you would never use today, and he talked about poor n–s and Mexicans that he taught Sunday school to.”
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“I think it’s worth noting that both the mayor’s office and university only issued statements after we informed them we’d release our own statement within 24 hours because we felt they hadn’t adequately addressed it publicly,” she remarked.
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This Tuesday Trent University released an official statement regarding what happened weeks earlier.
“During a guest lecture as an invited speaker, the Mayor of Peterborough referenced writings from a historical figure who used racist language,” it read. “In doing so, the Mayor repeated a racial slur.”
“Thanks to those students who voiced their concerns. The Mayor has since given written apologies to both the class and publicly.”
The next day TCSA shared their own statement asking that Leal not return as a guest speaker while also advocating for racism training for future speakers along with establishing screening processes for them.
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Get the day’s top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines delivered to your inbox once a day. Leal told that he was quoting the former U. S. president while addressing students in the administration management class. More on Canada More videos “I referenced several historical leaders from various countries like Canada and the United States. During my lecture I mentioned Lyndon B Johnson who early in his career was known for using racial slurs,” the mayor said. “It was completely inappropriate for me to do that. It was an awful thing for me to say and I truly apologize for my actions.” TCSA vice-president Kyra Myderwyk mentioned that they had been discussing how this situation would be managed with university officials but it seemed to be dragging on. The students then informed both school officials and politicians about their intention to release a statement. Trending Now
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“I think it’s worth noting that both the mayor’s office and university only issued statements after we informed them we’d release our own statement within 24 hours because we felt they hadn’t adequately addressed it publicly,” she remarked.
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This Tuesday Trent University released an official statement regarding what happened weeks earlier.
“During a guest lecture as an invited speaker, the Mayor of Peterborough referenced writings from a historical figure who used racist language,” it read. “In doing so, the Mayor repeated a racial slur.”
“Thanks to those students who voiced their concerns. The Mayor has since given written apologies to both the class and publicly.”
The next day TCSA shared their own statement asking that Leal not return as a guest speaker while also advocating for racism training for future speakers along with establishing screening processes for them.
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