# Rude White Man Fired For Refusing To Acknowledge Black Woman's Doctoral Title



## TrulyBlessed (Apr 24, 2021)

White North Carolina official fired for refusing to use black woman’s doctoral title​By Yaron Steinbuch​By Yaron Steinbuch
April 22, 2021 | 12:10pm


A North Carolina city has reportedly ousted a white official who refused a black resident’s request to be addressed by her doctoral title during a televised meeting.

Tony Collins, a member of the Greensboro Zoning Commission, was removed by the City Council this week after a tense exchange involving Carrie Rosario, an associate professor at UNC-Greensboro, the Charlotte Observer reported.

“It was a very disrespectful exchange between an important commissioner and a public citizen,” said City Councilwoman Sharon Hightower, who called for the vote to remove Collins, according to the news outlet.

“That should never happen,” she added.

The incident Monday occurred toward the end of a four-hour Zoning Commission meeting in which Rosario expressed concerns about a development project near her home.

During the exchange, Collins referred to her as “Mrs. Rosario,” the Observer reported.

“It’s Dr. Rosario, thank you, sir,” she replied.

“If Mrs. Rosario has something,” Collins continued.

“Dr. Rosario,” she said again.

“Well, you know, I’m sorry. Your name says on here ‘Carrie Rosario.’ Hey Carrie,” Collins persisted.

“It’s Dr. Rosario,” she said yet again. “I wouldn’t call you Tony, so please, sir, call me as I would like to be called.”

“It doesn’t really matter,” Collins replied.







Tony Collins has been removed from the Greensboro Zoning Commission.

“It matters to me. And out of respect, I would like you to call me by the name that I’m asking you to call me by,” Rosario said.

“Your screen says Carrie Rosario,” he responded.

“I’m verbalizing my name is Dr. Carrie Rosario,” she said. “And it really speaks very negatively of you as a commissioner to be disrespectful.”

Collins insisted that he was not trying to disrespect her.

But Hightower later told her colleagues that Collins was using his “white privilege” by refusing Rosario’s request, according to the Greensboro News & Record.



Dr. Carrie Rosario asked multiple times to be called by her preferred title.

“It is not going to be tolerated. As a black female, I am not going to see another black female treated in this manner,” Hightower told McClatchy News, according to the Observer.

Rosario said the council’s decision was a “welcomed surprise.”

“I do not believe his actions reflect the type of behavior the public needs or expects from its elected or appointed leaders,” she told McClatchy News, adding that several Zoning Commission members later apologized for the incident.

Collins also has reportedly apologized in a voicemail.

“I would love to say that people don’t operate off of appearances, but that has not been my experience,” Rosario said, the Observer reported. “Black women, regardless of level of education, are consistently dismissed and overlooked or judged in our society.”

“I cannot judge what is in Mr. Collins’ heart, nor would I presume to, but I will say that racism as a system devalues and dismisses black women — and Mr. Collins’ actions were evidence of the microaggressions that we face on a regular basis just trying to go about our daily lives,” she added.









						White North Carolina official fired for refusing to use black woman’s doctoral title
					

Tony Collins, a member of the Greensboro Zoning Commission, was removed by the City Council this week after a tense exchange involving a professor.




					nypost.com


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## Peppermynt (Apr 24, 2021)

If a white male corrected him and asked to be called Dr whatever he’d have done so. They stay finding hills to die on.


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## TrulyBlessed (Apr 24, 2021)

Peppermynt said:


> If a white male corrected him and asked to be called Dr whatever he’d have done so. They stay finding hills to die on.



No doubt! One thing I noticed upon watching again is he refused to pronounce her last name correctly as well.


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## Everything Zen (Apr 24, 2021)

Peppermynt said:


> If a white male corrected him and asked to be called Dr whatever he’d have done so. *They stay finding hills to die on. *


Quoted and bolded for emphasis.


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## cocosweet (Apr 24, 2021)

What a stupid reason to lose one’s job. All he had to do was correct himself on request.  Bye, Dummy.


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## weaveadiva (Apr 24, 2021)

White people are exhausting.


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## luckiestdestiny (Apr 25, 2021)

Welp. Okay then.


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## Keen (Apr 25, 2021)

Her screen name does not have Mrs on it, yet he chose to call her Mrs.  But won’t call her Dr. because it’s not in her screen name?


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## Crackers Phinn (Apr 25, 2021)

_“It is not going to be tolerated. As a black female, I am not going to see another black female treated in this manner,” Hightower told McClatchy News, according to the Observer._

I appreciate and applaud this message and hope one day we can keep that same energy across the board.


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## winterinatl (Apr 25, 2021)

This has happened to my sister. Having to argue with emergency medical staff at the scene of a health emergency while shopping, on the fact that she was a doctor and not a nurse as they kept insisting . And patients that refuse the acknowledge her title.


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## Theresamonet (Apr 26, 2021)

Ridiculous.

I thought it was interesting though, that they also don’t address her as doctor in the article.


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## luckiestdestiny (Apr 26, 2021)

Theresamonet said:


> Ridiculous.
> 
> I thought it was interesting though, that they also don’t address her as doctor in the article.


I caught that too. It's like either they did it subconsciously (inherent bias  ) or they also happened to have some issues with a black woman. It should be obvious to address her by her Dr. Title when covering her in the article _about someone getting fired for not addressing her by her proper title._


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## demlew (Apr 26, 2021)

@Theresamonet @luckiestdestiny 

An article on TheLily explains a possible reason for not using her title though she's earned it:

_*Washington Post style usually does not include the title “Dr.” because so many types of professionals claim the title that it doesn’t convey information to the reader about their qualifications; we instead specify their profession or degree. This article makes an exception to that style because of the context of the event being written about.*









						A White city official refused to address this Black professor as ‘doctor.’ He got fired.
					

The back and forth continued for almost a minute, in an exchange that quickly went viral.




					www.thelily.com
				



_


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## CarefreeinChicago (Apr 26, 2021)

He was doing that on purpose and he enjoyed it and I hope he enjoyed it when they fired him


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## winterinatl (Apr 26, 2021)

Theresamonet said:


> Ridiculous.
> 
> I thought it was interesting though, that they also don’t address her as doctor in the article.


I didn’t even catch that. I emailed this sentiment to the author. Thanks for pointing it out.


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## winterinatl (Apr 26, 2021)

demlew said:


> @Theresamonet @luckiestdestiny
> 
> An article on TheLily explains a possible reason for not using her title though she's earned it:
> 
> ...


Oh, I wonder if they will respond with something similar.


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## Theresamonet (Apr 27, 2021)

demlew said:


> @Theresamonet @luckiestdestiny
> 
> An article on TheLily explains a possible reason for not using her title though she's earned it:
> 
> ...



That makes since in the context that they are describing, but in this case it is the opposite. Her actual qualifications are irrelevant; that's not what they need to convey information about. The point is that she wants to be referred to as Dr. and is meeting undue resistance. In that context, they should have used her preferred title.


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