A former University of Ottawa professor is being sued by a colleague for libel after the defendant posted “offensive, racist, and defamatory” statements on his blog, according to the Ottawa Citizen.
Denis Rancourt, who was a physics professor at uOttawa, is being sued by law professor Joanne St. Louis after Rancourt posted what she claims to be racist comments about her while commenting on her professional relationship with uOttawa president Allan Rock.
Rancourt wrote on his blog entitled “UofO Watch,” which is “devoted to transparency at the University of Ottawa,” that St. Louis acted as “house negro” for Rock, when she “enthusiastically toiled to discredit a [student union] report about systemic racial discrimination at the university,” in a 2008 blog post.
In her statement of claim, St. Louis also suggests Rancourt wrote that she “forfeited her racial and cultural identity” and that she “cooperates in the denigration of [black] people for personal gain or advantage.”
The term “house negro” is known to those in the black community as someone who is a “race traitor” and a “pariah in the black community,” according to St. Louis’ statement of claim.
St. Louis claims that she was “exposed to contempt, ridicule and hatred” because of Rancourt’s comments.
Rancourt has defended his statements, saying they were not racist, and plans to file a statement of defence, according to the Ottawa Citizen.
“The phrase has a very specific meaning,” Rancourt said, explaining that it refers to a black person who serves a hierarchy.
“[The term’s meaning] is accepted by scholars and historians,” Rancourt said. “I am not in anyway attacking [St. Louis’] character. I’m making a statement about a specific report she wrote.”
Several readers of the blog are defending Rancourt, while others are disgusted at his use of what St. Louis believes to be racist language.
“This is the most absurdly racist thing I’ve ever read,” one anonymous commenter wrote. “Please refrain from using ‘freedom of speech’ as a curtain to hide behind when making sick malicious, and racist comments.”
Another commenter, with the username Annemarie, wrote that she believes the use of the term was “beyond inflammatory,” and “‘celebrating’ Black History Month by appropriating said history (as a white man, natch) to insult her AND make light of slave history by using its terminology this way is total bullshit that needs to be called out.”
Others believe Rancourt’s use of the term was appropriate to call attention to what they believe was a wrongdoing on the part of St. Louis within the uOttawa administration.
“Rancourt’s use of the term ‘house negro’ was not a poor choice,” another anonymous commenter wrote. “It was specifically chosen for its provocative value — this methodology is consistent with Rancourt’s ideology as exhibited by his other blog posts.”
Rancourt was fired from the University of Ottawa in 2009 for using an advanced physics course to teach about social activism, as well as for giving every student in the class an A+, according to Maclean’s magazine.
