MOUNT LAUREL, N.J. (AP) -- A former student claims in a lawsuit that the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey discriminated against him for the way he described his background in classroom discussions on cultural diversity.
Paulo Serodio said that in 2006, he told a professor and classmates that he was ``white, African, American,'' which he says accurately reflects the fact that he was born in Mozambique but later became a U.S. citizen.
He said some classmates and staff members at New Jersey Medical School found it offensive that a Caucasian man would call himself ``African-American'' and that the fallout led to harassment and eventually his suspension from the school.
Serodio, who lives in Newark, said some school employees and students told him not to describe himself as ``African-American.'' In the aftermath of his comments, Serodio said, flyers were hung around the school mocking him, he was assaulted and his car was vandalized.
His lawyer, Gregg Zeff, said Serodio eventually was suspended for ``conduct unbecoming'' a student.
The suspension came directly from his remarks in class, Zeff said.
LinkTechnically, this kid had more right to call himself and African-American than Jesse Jackson , Al Sharpton or even 0Bama. Well maybe not 0Bama since he was born in Kenya. I wish the article gave his motivation for calling himself that, because if it was to show the idiocy of hyphenated Americans then I could fully back his idea. As it is, it's merely somewhat humorous because it pissed liberals off.
