Professor Richard Taylor, course instructor for history at St. John's University, is currently being accused of allegedly "forcing" his students into "making a list of pros and cons of slavery." As students who have taken his course, we believe that what Professor Taylor is facing is unfair.

Whoever signs this petition, knows what really happened in the classroom and knows the proportion of this misunderstanding. He has always said that whenever a topic made someone feel uncomfortable, he would have been more than willing to skip it, and when it was time to talk about slavery and colonialism we all knew it was a very delicate issue.

This course was meant to provide us with the historical background necessary to understand how the global society we live in came into being.

He wanted to make us develop a critical thinking and therefore, not taking everything for how it is, and this is something to be admired about him. Any form of cultural, ethnic, gender, linguistic, sexual, racial or religious harassment was not allowed in the classroom and he respected that.

We ask that you sign this petition to help Prof. Taylor have his job back. He does not deserve to have his life ruined for a misunderstanding.