A Georgetown University Law Center professor apologized after a video surfaced last week on Twitter showing him using a racial slur when calling on a student in class.
Franz Werro was asking for comments from students during his lecture on Feb. 10 when he said, “OK, so any other surprise, or, what about you, Mr. Chinaman? Sorry to not catch your — maybe you can remind me of your name.”
Warning: The tweet below contains video and audio of the racial slur.
The slur has roots in the 19th century and was largely used to dehumanize Chinese immigrant laborers and merchants.
A law school spokesperson shared with NBC News Werro’s direct apology that he sent to his class the day after the incident: “I apologize that I used an offensive term in class yesterday. The statement I made was just after the break in the class, during which I had enthusiastically noted the great diversity of languages spoken by members of the class. As a non-native English speaker myself, I did not appreciate that it was a derogatory term, as I now understand it is. I am very sorry I used it. I am committed to educating myself because I want all students to feel welcome in my classroom.”
Werro did not respond to NBC News’ request for comment.
William M. Treanor, dean of the law school, issued a statement the day after the incident.
“Late last night I was made aware of an incident yesterday involving a professor using a derogatory term in the classroom that is demeaning and hurtful,” the statement said. “This term is a slur with a centuries-long history of harm to Asian people. I met with student leaders from APALSA and the Georgetown China Law Society today and remain committed to having an open and honest dialogue about this incident.”
The Asian Pacific American Law Students Association also released a statement, saying it spoke with the deans at the law school and highlighted steps the administration should take to redress the harm done and ensure a productive learning environment for students.
The association included suggestions such as implementing mandatory implicit bias training, establishing a clear channel for students to anonymously bring complaints directly to the law school administration with guaranteed response and that the administration commit to addressing and disciplining staff and faculty if necessary after a certain number of complaints.