November 1, 2022
White Tennessee State U Professor Robert Pickard Filmed Screaming in Black Student’s Face, ‘YOU HAVE FAILED!’
A white professor at Tennessee State University, an HBCU, has gone viral for all the wrong reasons after he was filmed screaming at the top of his lungs at a Black student.
A video clip posted to TikTok on Monday garnered strong responses from viewers confused as to why the teacher belligerently shouted at the student who was doing nothing.
“Welcome to the HBCU experience,” a caption over the video read.
It showed the white professor screaming and shouting at the Black student while demanding to know their name.
“I SAID WHAT IS YOUR NAME?!” the professor shouts.
“I DON’T CARE, GET OUT! YOU HAVE FAILED THIS COURSE WHATEVER YOUR NAME IS!”
@myathagangsta #gobigblue 💙 #fyp #viral #foryoupage ♬ Just Wanna Rock – Lil Uzi Vert
Black Information Network reports that a student posted the video online, noting how it wasn’t the professor’s first time treating a student this way.
“I was so shocked like why would you yell at him like that?” TSU student Sheraya Rains said of the incident. “I think he should be fired.”
The optics of the now-viral moment have been called out by onlookers confused as to why a white educator at a historically Black college or university was berating a Black student in front of the entire class.
“At A HBCU????” one viewer wrote.
“All he needed was the word “BOYYY” at the end. Sounded ready af,” another user scolded.
“I’ve never seen a single professor raise their voice not even the slightest throughout my 4 years of college,” said someone else.
When the clip made its rounds on Twitter, one user identified the professor as TSU’s Robert Pickard and shared a screenshot of Pickard’s low score on Rate My Professor.
A mess. pic.twitter.com/tymuwTncAG
— chris evans (@notcapnamerica) November 1, 2022
The low ratings started to skyrocket following the viral video clip. Onlookers sounded off and called for the professors’ removal from the Tennessee-based HBCU.
“How is he employed there still w/ these ratings?!” one user noted, referencing the professor’s low ratings from fellow TSU students.
“Gonna be unemployed soon,” one user wrote.
“He wanted to say it so bad,” added someone else.
In the wake of the video being heavily shared across social media, TSU condemned Pickard’s behavior in a statement, WSMV reports.
“The University is aware of the incident identified in the video clip being distributed in the media, including on social media. TSU does not tolerate unprofessional behavior in its classrooms or otherwise directed at students,” the statement reads.
“The University is committed to providing a healthy and positive academic environment for all students. This incident runs afoul of the standard of behavior we expect from those charged with teaching and serving as role models for our students. The University has taken swift action, including personnel action, to address this incident.”