A community college professor in California recently received a major settlement after being disciplined by his institution. The formerly tenured instructor, Matthew Garret, taught at Bakersfield College before being fired last year over allegations of racial discrimination. However, the allegations were eventually proven to be untrue, and the college agreed to a $2.4 million settlement with Garrett.
The former professor began facing backlash in 2019 after taking a stand for free speech on campus, an increasingly difficult task amid oppressive leftist censorship at many universities across the country. Garrett received complaints over his criticisms of a fellow professor, Dr. Paula Parks, who happened to be a black woman. Subsequently, students began attacking Garrett, insinuating that his comments were motivated by racism.
According to reports, one student claimed that Garrett “went on to insult” the minority professor in a manner that “felt very personal and came from a place of hate.” Reportedly, Garrett had been critical of Dr. Parks’ teaching methods as well as a survey that polled students on experiences such as “racial stress,” “race-based physical aggression,” and “microaggressions.”
However, after the settlement, Garrett will receive $2,245,480 in monthly payments disbursed over the next 20 years, equating to just over $9,000 per month. The former professor will also receive an immediate one-time payment of $154,520 to account for “compensation for back wages and medical benefits since [his] dismissal.”
Garrett stated in an email to The College Fix, “After five years of administrative misconduct, a decisive courtroom display exonerated me of all allegations and exposed that Kern Community College District engaged in flagrant retaliation for my questioning of partisan policies and wasteful expenditures. Facing an imminent ruling in my favor and the prospect of paying millions of dollars in damages, KCCD had only one viable option: settlement. I am grateful to the many who stood by my side during this difficult time and invite them to join in our triumph.”
“To my colleagues at Bakersfield College and nationwide, I say: Keep the faith; we are winning the battle, one case at a time,” Garrett said, offering an inspiring message to other conservatives on college campuses who may be facing similar backlash. Garret’s legal win is encouraging amid a seemingly oppressive attitude toward conservatism in the American University system.
Garrett maintains that in the current age where leftist thinking dominates society’s institutions, evidence and truth must be prioritized. “Call me old fashioned but I believe in truth and evidence-based reasoning,” he told The Daily Wire in a statement from last year. “In an age of emotional incontinence we need to remember that while feelings do matter they cannot displace facts.”
Disucssing his future plans, Garrett said, “My first product will be a Native American history course (which is my research and publication field) designed to fulfil California’s new high school Ethnic Studies requirement with original text, images, videos and more.” He added, “…And of course, I intend to continue to advocate for free speech and institutional transparency at Bakersfield College and the broader academy. I will continue to speak at board meetings, campaign for candidates, and intend to write a biographical user’s manual for defeating the campus radicals, though that will take me some time to write and edit.”
"*" indicates required fields