- Written by Ryan Grenoble
- Published on 1st July 2021
Phylicia Rashad: ‘I fully support survivors of sexual assault coming forward. My post was in no way intended to be insensitive to their truth.’ Photograph: Elijah Nouvelage/Invision/AP- Howard University has responded to a highly polarizing tweet by Phylicia Rashad, the dean of its fine arts program, with a gentle scolding and not much else.
- In a statement released late Wednesday, the historically Black university described the tweet — in which Rashad hailed accused rapist Bill Cosby’s release from prison as the overdue righting of “a terrible wrong” — as “lacking sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault.”
- “While Dean Rashad has acknowledged in her follow-up tweet that victims must be heard and believed, her initial tweet lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault,” the school wrote. “Personal positions of University leadership do not reflect Howard University’s policies.”
