Florida Professor Hits Back After Being Fired for Racial Justice Lessons
Samuel Joeckel was fired in March after a parent complained he was “indoctrinating” students with racial justice lessons.

Nick Juhasz/Wikimedia Commons
Former Palm Beach Atlantic University English professor Samuel Joeckel, who was fired in March after a parent complained he was “indoctrinating” students with racial justice lessons, has filed a federal complaint against the university. In a statement released Monday, Joeckel argued that his firing was racially charged, prompting him to file with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “I am hopeful that this will not only right the wrongs that PBA committed against me, but also protect faculty members at PBA and other schools,” he said. The professor’s attorney, Gabe Roberts, said that the complaint is based on “associational discrimination,” since Joeckel is not arguing that he was fired because of his own race. “If an employment decision is motivated by a protected characteristic such as race, that is an unlawful employment practice in this country,” Roberts said in a statement. Joeckel indicated that he never expressed his own views on racial justice, and always encouraged students to make up their own mind on the topic.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.