Whew chile, the When They See Us documentary really has its foot on these people’s necks ‘cause although its late, the action that is being taken is above them now. Elizabeth Lederer, the main prosecutor in the Central Park 5 case that is portrayed in the documentary, has resigned from her position as a professor at Columbia Law.
According to the New York Daily News, lil Lizzie resigned Wednesday after a group of black students released a letter calling her a ‘racist’. The Black Law Students Association at Columbia apparently demanded that Lizzie be fired from the school where she served as a part time lecturer.
New statement released from the @ColumbiaLaw Black Law Students Association
Students call for #CentralPark5 prosecutor Elizabeth Lederer to be fired from her Lecturer in Law position
Also call on the law school to center anti-racism in its curriculum and pedagogy pic.twitter.com/U8By81KWBB
— Barred and Boujee (@AudreLawdAMercy) June 11, 2019
What’s crazy is that students reportedly called for Elizabeth’s firing six years ago, however, the university didn’t do anything about it except for remove a reference to the Central Park case in her official biography on the school’s website.
Well, Elizabeth officially resigned early Wednesday, stating, “I’ve enjoyed my years teaching at CLS, and the opportunity it has given me to interact with the many fine students who elected to take my classes. However, given the nature of the recent publicity generated by the Netflix portrayal of the Central Park case, it is best for me not to renew my teaching application.”
Gillian Lester, the law school dean at Columbia also made a statement following Elizabeth’s resignation.
“I am deeply committed to fostering a learning environment that furthers this important and ongoing dialogue, one that draws upon the lived experiences of all members of our community and actively confronts the most difficult issues of our time,” she said. Adding that the Netflix mini series “reignited a painful — and vital — national conversation about race, identity, and criminal justice.”
The Black Law Students Association is pleased with the news however, they feel there is more that needs to be done, period.
While we are pleased with this announcement, we recognize there is much work to be done. We hope to work with the administration, faculty, and students to implement mandatory trainings for all faculty, and to ensure more inclusivity in the classroom. pic.twitter.com/qDp8rR4y13
— Columbia BLSA (@columbia_blsa) June 12, 2019
