DORCHESTER, Mass. — UMass Boston students organized a sit-in Thursday in the provost’s office, calling on the reinstatement of one of their professors.
Dr. Keith Jones, a professor of nine years in the Africana Studies Department, was informed of his termination last spring, with the university citing financial reasons and decreased enrollment in majors and minors.
However, students are calling it a retaliatory measure on the Africana Studies Department, which has been working to implement anti-racist policies following Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.
“It’s extremely upsetting. It’s enraging, honestly,” Max Herschman said.
“Any student that’s ever had class with him is always shocked when they hear what’s happening,” Jada Knight said.
The students have collected nearly 1,800 signatures in a petition for the university to rescind Dr. Jones’ termination letter.
“The way [the students] have responded to this is one of the great gifts of my life,” Dr. Jones reflected.
Dr. Jones also believes his termination is a form of retaliation.
He explains that during the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, the Africana Studies Department approached the university about implementing various policies that he says could lead the school to becoming an ‘anti-racist health-promoting research institution.’ One of the policies would be a change to the curriculum, including making ‘Intro to Black Studies’ a mandatory course.
He said at the time, the university was receptive to those policies.
“That support came in the midst of the uprising, but then after that, their support really shifted,” Dr. Jones said. “There was a retaliation that occurred after that when we tried to hold them accountable to that vision.”
After what Dr. Jones calls repeated retaliation against the Africana Studies Department, he and his colleagues filed multiple Department of Labor Relations complaints and says they’re on the cusp of submitting a civil lawsuit. However, he says what the campus has seen, including fliers around campus and sit-ins at the provost’s office, has been a student-led initiative.
Kayin Walker is one of the students leading the initiative. He’s taken six of Dr. Jones’ classes and considers him a mentor.
“We felt like we needed to do more,” Walker said. “Just putting pressure to get them to understand that this isn’t going away. You guys can prolong this decision all you want, but at the end of the day, we’re going to be here. We want justice.”
Though in all of this, for Dr. Jones, there’s one aspect that truly stands out.
“Whatever should come regarding my termination, I think we’ve already had a victory. The way that the students have organized themselves, the fact that they’re protecting something that is sacred to them, which is the sacredness of the classroom,” Dr. Jones said.
Boston25 did reach out to UMass Boston for comment, but has yet to receive a response.
Students say they were told a decision on Dr. Jones’ employment could come by the end of the day Thursday.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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