Warning: This story includes discussion of offensive and racist language.
Trent University’s undergraduate students union is asking the school not to invite Peterborough Mayor Jeff Leal back to campus after he used the N-word while speaking to a class last month.
The incident happened on March 19, when Leal attended a business class as a guest lecturer, according to a statement from the Trent Central Student Association.
“Furthermore, he expressed racist sentiments that demeaned both the Black and Mexican communities,” the statement says.
“The City of Peterborough should hold its mayor to a higher standard.”
A recording of part of Leal’s remarks was published by Trent University’s independent student newspaper, Arthur.
In it, Leal can be heard talking about former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.
“He used this language that you would never use today, and he talked about poor [redacted] and Mexicans that he taught Sunday school to,” Leal says on the recording.
The word after “poor” was bleeped out in the recording published by Arthur. Arthur and a student whom the publication interviewed reported that the redacted word was the N-word.
The students union says it has filed a complaint with the city’s integrity commissioner over the incident and plans to host a sit-in at city hall on April 28.
Iyiola Alade, president of the Trent Central Student Association, said it came as a shock to him that a political figure would use a racial slur during a lecture.
“We urge the the members of the Peterborough community to place their leaders on a higher standard. We do not think racism belongs on our campus, in our city or in the world,” he said in an interview with CBC News.
He said some students have told him the incident has shaken their belief that the university was a “safe space” from racism.
“Students aren’t feeling as safe as they used to, I would say.”
He said the union hasn’t asked university officials to bar Leal from campus at this point, but said some students have suggested that.
“We prioritize the well-being of our student body and we would recommend that the university not place our students in a situation where they would have to experience harm a second time.”
The union is also calling on the university to ensure guest speakers are properly screened, including having their content reviewed before it’s presented to students, and that they receive anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion training.
Leal apologized for the remark in a statement posted to the city’s website Tuesday, where he said he was quoting a historical remark attributed to Lyndon B. Johnson from the 1930s.
“In doing so, the quote that I used included a racial slur that is deeply offensive and hurtful,” Leal said.
“Regardless of the context or intent, using that word was wrong. I recognize the pain it carries and the responsibility I have to speak with care and respect.”
In its own statement published Tuesday, Trent University thanked students who came forward to express their concerns, adding that it is unacceptable to use racist language “regardless of context.”
“We apologize for the harm this caused to our students and recognize that words (racial slurs) can have lasting impacts on racialized students,” the statement says.
The university says it will extend its equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-Black racism training to invited speakers “in an effort to ensure that such an occurrence is not repeated.”
The incident highlights the need for that type of education, said Doreen Simpson, president of Remember the 400, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Black youth.
“When you’re going to go in front of a group of people that’s diverse, you need to understand the community that you’re going to speak to and tackle every subject with care,” she said.
“I think that conversation needs to be constant in our community, needs to be more prevalent, so that these situations do not happen.”
