Fired Mizzou professor Melissa Click: 'This is all about racial politics'

close

Video

Disgraced Missouri professor seen cursing at cops

Former University of Missouri professor Melissa Click curses at police officer in new video

Infamous former University of Missouri professor Melissa Click suggested in a newspaper profile published Sunday that she was fired because of her race.

“This is all about racial politics,” Click said in the Chronicle of Higher Education article. “I’m a white lady. I’m an easy target.”

Click was fired from her position as an assistant professor of communications in February, and her appeal of the decision was denied in March. She achieved national attention after video footage of her assaulting a student journalist went viral. Later, video emerged of her yelling profanities at a police officer.

“I’m a white lady. I’m an easy target.”

— Melissa Click

Her confrontation with a student journalist attempting to cover campus protests in November was caught on the journalist’s camera.

“I’m not a superhero,” Click told The Chronicle. “I wasn’t in charge. When it got out of control, I was the one held accountable.”

Her incident with police in October, during a protest at the university’s homecoming parade, was caught on an officer’s body camera.

“Am I going to be one of those people who stands and watches another brutal moment against black people, or am I going to step in and make sure they’re safe?” Click said she asked herself before stepping between the police officer and a protester.

“Black people love me,” she’s quoted as telling a reporter.

Click said the media treated her unfairly, and if she were to write a headline for her story it would have been “Favorite Professor Fights to Support Black Students on Campus in Dangerous Situation.”

“I believed at some point, somebody would care about the truth of what I was doing,” Click said. “I am a woman who made some mistakes trying to do what she thought was right.”