Professors at women’s HBCU refuse to teach in person due to COVID-19 concerns

Professors at the Historically Black Women’s College (HBCU) Spelman College are refusing to teach classes in person during the fall semester due to COVID-19 concerns, The 19th reported.

Spelman College’s faculty council announced in a message to students on Thursday that professors won’t be teaching in-person classes for the foreseeable future, saying that they haven’t received “clear and enforceable” safety guidelines from the school. 

The college is requiring all of its staff, faculty members and students to be fully vaccinated and wear face masks on campus grounds, according to the college’s coronavirus guidance.

Yikes. Spelman professors have officially went on strike. pic.twitter.com/RL4MLqpqgK

— ig: iamkaylingabrielle (@KaylinGabrielle) August 19, 2021

Kaylin Daigle, a junior political science major, told The 19th that she understands her professors’ stance, calling them “trailblazers” for stepping up and taking action for other educators who feel the same way.

“I know that I admire the faculty … and I know that they are being trailblazers for educators around the nation today,” Daigle said. “We’re seen as the leaders for HBCUs.” 

This comes as the U.S is currently seeing another wave of COVID-19 infections as the highly contagious delta variant wreaks havoc, especially in unvaccinated communities.

In a statement to The 19th, Spelman, an all-women HBCU, said that it will listen to the input of its staff and continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation on its campus.

The Hill has reached out to Spelman College for comment.