**CHECK OUT THE UPDATES AT THE BOTTOM**
Yesterday, for reasons known only by God and the IRS, Georgetown University Law Center professor Franz Werro thought it was a good idea to refer to one of his Asian International Contracts and Sales Law students as “Mr. Chinaman.”
The fuck?
People aren’t perfect — it is known. Events like this can make you wonder does a failure become a feature? Last year it was Prof. Sandra Sellers, incoming Prof. Ilya Shapiro last week, and now Professor Franz Werro? It brings to mind an old Bushism turned J Cole sample.
That said, Werro’s utterance may have been more gaffe than dogwhistle.
The first time and last time I thought I’d hear that particular phrase was in St. Louis. The history behind it is complicated and I’d like to think its use is dwindling over time. But it was jarring to hear; as an East Coaster, I let out one of the same “what the hell is wrong with you?” uncomfortable chuckles you hear on the video. Don’t get me wrong — he should not have said what he said, but he may not have had enough context to know that he messed up.
His CV records his teaching in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, basically all the Eurotrip spots. Was what he said ignorant? Yes. But from what I can tell, it was in the “should have known better” way, not the “hiding pro-discrimination rhetoric behind reverse racism and 1st Amendment red herrings way” that Amy Wax and Ilya Shapiro have done it.
I am not a member of the Asian-American community. They have my support with how they choose to handle this situation and I wish for nothing but a safe learning environment for them.
I am Black though. And I’m worried how this could be spun. My hope is that Prof. Werro issues an apology. An actual one too, not one of those “sorry you got offended” types, but an “I was unaware of the racial history of the phrase I used, thank you for educating me and I assure you that it will not happen again” flavored sorry. Because there is a long history of (usually white) right-leaning pundits and public academics who use events like this to shape public discussion around normalizing racism. This could easily get spun by a bunch of Volokh types who defend the use of the n-word in their classes — I can already see them pointing at Prof. Werro’s potentially inadvertent use of a slur to justify their deliberate use of them.
Get on that apology though Prof. I know it only happened yesterday but 24 hours online is about three weeks real world time.
UPDATE:
Georgetown Dean Bill Teanor sent the below statement to the law school community:
Dear Members of the Georgetown Law Community,
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. 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 faculty member has expressed his commitment to that dialogue and has issued a sincere apology to his class.
As a community of students, staff, and faculty we must take a serious look at our culture, structure, systems, and processes to ensure that we are a community that fosters respect, equity, and justice. We have significant work ahead of us to create a community in which students can learn in an environment that is free from bias, where they are able to foster positive connections with others, and where everyone feels supported and appreciated for their contributions.
I recently created the Inclusion Council to help advance that important work. This Council, headed by Professor Sheila Foster, Associate Dean for Equity and Inclusion, and Dean Everett Bellamy, Interim Director of Equity and Inclusion, comprises students, staff, faculty, and alumni. It has already reimagined and made recommendations for the future structure of our Office of Equity and Inclusion. That Office will be staffed by three new positions, which will ultimately enable us to better serve our community. The Inclusion Council is also in the process of developing and putting in place a strategic plan for the entire Law Center. I will be able to share more details on that plan in the coming months.
We are also working to design an approach to inclusive pedagogy for all faculty. We have already conducted several trainings and will host workshops this Spring for faculty that will incorporate feedback from students.
I very much appreciate all the hard work that students, staff, faculty, and alumni are putting into these initiatives. I welcome your input on any of them, and on what additional steps the Law Center can take to ensure a diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus environment for all.
Sincerely,
Bill Treanor
UPDATE #2:
Additionally, Prof. Werro sent around the below apology:
Chris Williams became a social media manager and assistant editor for Above the Law in June 2021. Prior to joining the staff, he moonlighted as a minor Memelord™ in the Facebook group Law School Memes for Edgy T14s. He endured Missouri long enough to graduate from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. He is a former boatbuilder who cannot swim, a published author on critical race theory, philosophy, and humor, and has a love for cycling that occasionally annoys his peers. You can reach him by email at cwilliams@abovethelaw.com and by tweet at @WritesForRent.
