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PHOENIX - A professor at Grand Canyon University is under fire for some controversial comments he made about Black Lives Matter activists. Now local activists and the school are responding to the comments, which were made nearly a year ago, but only recently came to light.
Professor Toby Jennings has apologized and has been suspended. GCU says it places the highest value on diversity and tolerance. Some BLM members say GCU does a lot of good things, but is not satisfied with the school's response in this case.
GCU posted a link on its website to a ministry forum from last September called "God's concern for the poor: What's missing in social justice."
Jennings said the Black Lives Matter movement has different voices and some of them are not good.
"You have folks that participate in it on one side that are very thoughtful about the matter and then on the other side, you have people on the opposite side of that who frankly should be hung and I did say that on video.. they are saying things that are not helpful in any shape or form or human dignity or flourishing."
GCU says its College of Theology told Professor Jennings his statements were offensive, but didn't bring up the matter to the school's top executives.
Black Lives Matter took up the cause and last week, GCU suspended Jennings for the rest of the semester, but some BLM members in Phoenix say that's not enough.
"My heart is broken, not because GCU is our enemy, but they claim to be our brothers and sisters. Brothers and sisters please stop avoiding talking about ways racism.. makes us uncomfortable," said Pastor Warren Stewart, Jr.
The president of Grand Canyon University, while acknowledging he values the contributions of Black Lives Matter, says the critics in this case are wrong.
Should Black Lives Matter be sensitive to what was said?
"Yes, it was wrong, but it is an isolated incident and it does not represent who our faculty is and it does not represent who our students are," said Brian Mueller, GCU's president.
GCU statement regarding September 2016 Ministry Forum:
http://news.gcu.edu/2017/08/gcu-statement-regarding-september-2016-ministry-forum