The daughter of Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Prof. Peyi Soyinka-Airewele, has raised serious concerns regarding threats to her life while working at Ithaca College, a university in New York, United States.
Soyinka-Airewele is renowned for being the first Black woman to be promoted to full professor at the institution, marking a significant achievement in her academic career.
In a statement issued on Thursday, she revealed that she has been the target of a series of racist and violent threats, including threats of sexual assault and assassination.
She explained that these alarming incidents began after a student at the college started displaying erratic, harassing, and threatening behaviour towards her.
Despite her efforts to seek protection, Prof. Soyinka-Airewele claims that her complaints were met with bureaucratic obstacles, a lack of empathy from the college’s administration, and a refusal to accommodate her request for changes in her lecture delivery methods, which she believed would improve her safety and security.
The professor stated that she decided to speak out publicly to ensure that other minorities, particularly Black students and faculty from Africa, are aware of their right to seek support if they encounter similar harassment, threats, or discriminatory treatment.
When reached for comment, Dave Maley, the spokesperson for Ithaca College, declined to provide specific details about the situation, citing the institution’s policy of not commenting on personnel issues.
However, he emphasized that the college takes all threats against its community members very seriously.
