A state auditor, Shad White, is pressuring the University of Mississippi to fire tenured sociology professor Dr. James M. Thomas for participating in a two-day strike for racial justice, the Clarion Ledger reported.
Thomas was one of many academics across the country who recently joined the “Scholar Strike” on Sept. 8 and 9, taking a pause from their day-to-day work to teach about racism via YouTube and social media.
“I’ve emailed my classes to let them know I won’t be available the next two days,” Thomas tweeted. “I’ve pointed them toward @ScholarStrike resources to understand why so many of us are joining in this national call to action.”
In a letter on Monday, White reportedly told Chancellor Dr. Glenn Boyce that the university should reclaim Thomas’s pay for the days he didn’t work and terminate him for publicly joining a strike, which he argued is against Mississippi state law.
White, a Republican alumnus, also told the Clarion Ledger that he sent two agents to Thomas’ home last week but the professor “wasn’t interested” in talking. “You’ve got a professor that’s telling the world that he’s engaging in a strike,” White said. “I wanted to make sure, at minimum, he doesn’t get paid for those two days he went on strike, and I believe that falls completely under my purview.”
The university told Diverse it couldn’t discuss personnel matters, and Thomas declined to comment.
Strike co-organizer Dr. Kevin Gannon felt “outrage” on Thomas’s behalf, but he wasn’t surprised by the backlash. Gannon is the director for the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning and a professor of history at Grand View University.
