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A University of Virginia professor sparked controversy during a panel discussion by drawing parallels between former President Donald Trump’s electoral victory and historical atrocities of slavery and segregation.
During his moderation of a panel focused on “Race, Gender and the American Electorate,” Professor Kevin Gaines made inflammatory remarks connecting contemporary politics to America’s darkest historical periods.
A University of Virginia professor, Kevin Gaines, is under fire for comparing @POTUS Donald Trump’s election to slavery and segregation.
“The defeat of the first black woman nominee by a major party for the presidency by an openly racist and misogynistic candidate seemed to… pic.twitter.com/5nSnvNmFpH
— liten drage (@DrageLiten) February 23, 2025
“The defeat of the first black woman nominee by a major party for the presidency by an openly racist and misogynistic candidate seemed to recall the voicelessness and vulnerability of black women during the eras of slavery and segregation, particularly in the Jim Crow South,” Gaines said.
He continued his controversial comparison by stating, “Enslaved black women endured the violence of chattel slavery and the exploitation of their labor and reproductive sexuality.”
.@UVA professor of civil rights and social justice Kevin Gaines can't stomach that a black women suffered historic losses of black voters. https://t.co/7p6ojxI63b
— Greg Piper (@gregpiper) February 18, 2025
The discussion also featured input from University of Virginia law professor Bertrall Ross, who praised Vice President Harris’s debate performance against Trump. Ross asserted that Harris “handled Trump better than any candidate I have seen opposing Trump.”
Ross further expanded on his perspective, suggesting that underlying societal issues influenced the electoral outcome. “I mean, we’re a nation that’s plagued with misogyny and sexism. And to deny that would be to deny reality. . . . And that idea of Making America Great Again is an idea of returning to a dynamic of patriarchal control,” Ross stated.
The university administration has been contacted for their response to these controversial statements, but has not yet provided comment on the matter.
