URI Professor Who Accused University of Racism Files Federal Lawsuit Following Firing - UPDATED

URI Professor Who Accused University of Racism Files Federal Lawsuit Following Firing - UPDATED

A former University of Rhode Island Professor who accused the school of “Jim Crow” racism has filed a lawsuit in federal court. 

In December, Louis Kwame Fosu, who had taught in the Political Science department at URI since 2019, charged that the school was responsible for the “deliberate and racist demonizing exclusion of highly qualified African-Americans/Blacks, Latinos/Hispanics and Native Americans from positions of senior leadership and other positions throughout the university."

URI accused Fosu of "unwarranted, unsubstantiated, and defamatory personal attacks.”  In May, Fosu was fired from URI. 

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The lawsuit filed on Friday in U.S. District Court is to “end 129 years of abject systemic racism at the University of Rhode Island,” said Fosu. 

In the 24-page lawsuit, Fosu — represented by the DC-based law firm The Volkov Law Group — alleges URI violated his First Amendment right to freedom of speech by retaliating against him and denying him procedural due process of law; that it violated his Fourteenth Amendment right to equal protection; and that it violated Article 1 of the Rhode Island Constitution, which states in part, “no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied equal protection of the laws."

Fosu also named outgoing President David Dooley — and former Provost Donald DeHayes — individually for defamation. 

"The University of Rhode Island has reviewed the lawsuit filed by Professor Fosu and is prepared to defend itself and its officials vigorously against his allegations," said URI in a statement on Sunday. "The University maintains that Professor Fosu’s allegations lack merit.  The University will not comment further on the lawsuit and will present the merits of its positions in court."

 

About Suit 

The lawsuit allegations that URI has not had a commitment to diversity — present or past — and “continues to cling to systemic racially discriminatory practices.”

“URI’s record on racial diversity is abysmal. In this era of racial awareness, URI stands apart as an institution with little diversity in its faculty, administration, staff, and students. In fact beyond mere puffery, URI has no culture of diversity and inclusion,” states the lawsuit. 

“According to recent data, URI’s faculty has a mere 3 percent of black representation, and its student body consists of less than 5 percent black students. In comparison, Rhode Island College has more than double the number of black students at 10 percent,” it continues. 

Fosu states he was hired based on his experience and background — and was even tasked with teaching a class that examined “institutional power and advocacy for a more 

“URI describes Plaintiff as ‘a policy expert,’ who ‘earned a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center,’ along with an M.B.A. and a B.A. from other respected academic institutions; who has 'served as a special advisor' to U.S. and foreign governments and as a Legislative Fellow to a U.S. Congressman,” states the lawsuit. 

“Remarkably, URI hired Professor Fosu to teach, among other things, a class on advocacy in institutions titled, ‘Topics in Political Science: Examining Institutional Power, Checks & Balances, and Advocacy for a More Equitable Society,’ the lawsuit continues. 

Fosu says it is when he began to raise issues through the newly formed Diversity Think Tank at URI - which issued a twenty-one page Declaration of Diversity — that he faced retaliation.

It was when Professor Fosu "taught his students how to advocate for equality at URI and encouraged his students to examine the institutional processes at URI, Defendants quickly reacted to silence Plaintiff, punished him for doing his job and immediately sought his removal based on trumped up charges of alleged misconduct,” states the lawsuit.

Fosu is seeking declaratory and injunctive relief and unspecified “money damages,” as well as attorneys' fees. 

 

Challenging Students 

Despite being fired, Fosu continued to engage students following his departure from URI.

In June, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a cheerleader punished for Snapchat messages that had seen her punished for team policies, Fosu sent the following to students. 

“Speech that does not effect imminent danger to life is always protected in America -- remember the Matal v. Tam case -- even hate speech is protected. I need all you students to participate in this long and important advocacy for justice for African-Americans/Blacks and marginalized professors at URI who are silenced and fired by our white predatory racist Provost Donald DeHayes and senior leadership. You must inherit a better society in Rhode Island that is not ravaged by all the debilitating restraints of racism,” wrote Fosu. 
 
“I am very eager to testify in court to explain practically how 129 years of white supreme power and intimidation at URI has withered the integrity of Blacks and our families – and the indignity we endure from this normalized culture of racism and fear. I will vividly detail examples of victims before me, and also those who currently work silently in fear at URI,” Fosu continued. “White racists at URI do not need to love me or accept my piercing tone of truth that boldly rejects and disrespects racism. What is relevant in a court of law is verification of my words of truth in all my documents. We will win big in this lawsuit that is about to be filed against URI.”

Originally posted Sunday 7:45 AM

Updated Sunday 6:47 PM