Professor Files Civil Rights Complaint Against URI With Attorney General’s Office

Professor Files Civil Rights Complaint Against URI With Attorney General’s Office

Former University of Rhode Island Professor Louis Kwame Fosu has filed a civil rights complaint with the Rhode Island Attorney General’s office, 

In the complaint filed on October 20, Fusu accuses URI — and URI officials — of racism, bullying, harassment, defamation, and more.

The action marks the latest for Fosu, who last December accused URI of “Jim Crow” racism — and in July filed a lawsuit in federal court.

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“I have been advised by a policymaker in DC to file a formal complaint, for the record, directly with the Attorney General’s office regarding my case and others,” Fosu wrote in filing his complaint with Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha’s office. 

Allegations Made

In December 2020, 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; he filed his federal lawsuit two months later. 

In his racial discrimination complaint filed with Neronha’s office, Fosu alleges a number of abuses by URI and school officials, including: 

“Bullying—to silence my coaching and education with students, and the discussion of abject racism and discriminatory employment practices at URI.”

“Fabricating complaints against me with criminal deception and racial animus to fraudulently and illegally fire me.”

“Coercing me, students, and other Blacks to assent to discriminatory racist policies that  perpetuate systemic racism and advance white supremacy at URI.”

“Retaliation and Retribution—firing me for refusing to stop revealing endemic racism at URI and teaching about the specific exclusion of African-Americans with a lineage to  slavery and Native Americans.”

“Approximately 96% of all administrators and faculty fired, under investigation, bullied, forced to resign, with abruptly-terminated contracts without due process, denied promotions, denied tenure, denied employment, and denied unemployment, identify as African American/Black, Native American or Latino/Hispanic,” said Fosu in his filing.

“Yet collectively these aforementioned marginalized groups, in totality, account for only less than 7% of all administrators and faculty at URI," he added.