*Howard University is facing a $2 million lawsuit from a former white student who claims he suffered racial discrimination while attending the university on a scholarship.
Michael Newman was a law school student at the HBCU in 2020 but was expelled after he allegedly made provocative statements that offended his classmates, according to his lawsuit, The New York Post reports.
The suit claims Newman suffered “depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts” due to “public ostracism, vilification and humiliation.” Newman also alleges that his peers removed him from various group chats due to “racial animus.”
Newman is reportedly representing himself in the racial discrimination case. His 11-count lawsuit details his two years at the school, during which he claims he endured negative reactions from his peers and administrators.
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Newman claims he suffered “discrimination on a scale none of my classmates likely ever experienced” after making comments about the Black community that his classmates found offensive.
During a symposium that took place around the 2020 election, Newman asked the Black speakers “why Black voters didn’t question turning to government for solutions” and “how reliably voting for the same party every election disincentivized both parties from responding to the needs of the black communities.” He was immediately removed from the class, according to The Daily Mail.
When Newman compared himself to a Black student attending a primarily white institution (PWI), fellow students allegedly mocked him and called him “mayo king” and “white panther.”
School officials ultimately decided Newman was “responsible” for creating a hostile environment on campus, and ruled that he should be expelled.
The school’s VP and Chief Communications Officer, Frank Tramble, told The Post that the lawsuit is a “one-sided and self-serving narrative of the events leading to the end of the student’s enrollment at the University.”
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