Princeton Democratic Socialists Raise ‘Grave Concern’ over ‘Discriminatory’ Gorilla Image Used in a French Class

The Princeton Young Democratic Socialists of America released an open letter on Monday condemning “discriminatory materials” in the French-language program at Princeton University. A graduate student who was a teaching assistant for the course alleges that his position was jeopardized after he raised concerns to the department and that this “aggravated a general anxiety disorder.”

“The materials in question include a slide deck of personal adjectives used for the theme ‘classroom and classmates’ starting with several silverback gorillas and an image of King Kong, before presenting a picture of former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama,” the open letter states. The letter was sent to the chairman of the French and Italian department, as well as the dean of the graduate school and the dean of the faculty.