A journalism professor at Howard University is under fire for urging white liberals to model themselves after one of the most violent radicals in pre-Civil War history. Stacey Patton’s message is being described by critics as a dangerous endorsement of extremism.

Patton, who teaches at the Washington, D.C.–based university, published a blog post titled “John Brown Didn’t Ask Enslaved People How to Be A Good White Ally.” In it, she told her readers that true allies should follow the path of John Brown, a 19th-century abolitionist who led deadly attacks in the name of ending slavery.

“So when white allies ask, ‘What can I do?’ here’s the answer: Be like John Brown. Ask yourself, what am I willing to burn so somebody else can breathe?” Patton wrote.

John Brown’s name is infamous in American history. In the 1850s, he led the Pottawatomie massacre in Kansas, where five men were dragged from their homes and killed. Later, he organized a raid on a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, which led to multiple deaths, including that of a freed slave named Heyward Shepherd.

Patton praised Brown’s defiance and used his violent rebellion as an example for modern activism.

“Brown didn’t need a syllabus, a think piece, or a guidebook on allyship. He didn’t need affirmation from Black folks that he was one of the good ones,” she said. “He saw the horror for what it was and decided that ending this racist f—ery mattered more than being understood.”

She then quoted Brown’s final words before his execution.

“When they captured him, beaten and bleeding, he didn’t apologize. He said, ‘I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood,’” Patton wrote. “Just like that.”

Patton claimed that it was exhausting trying to teach white people how to be “allies,” saying the effort itself adds to the problem.

“Even the well-intentioned versions drag you back into the same cycle of having to translate pain into curriculum,” she said. “They want to be seen trying, but the trying itself becomes another demand on the people that are already harmed.”

Her post ended with a grim warning that seemed to justify radical acts of resistance.

“If you don’t want to die like John Brown, fine. But understand that somebody always does. The question is whether you’ll keep letting it be us,” she wrote.

Antifa groups have long used John Brown’s image as a rallying symbol. One of its members, Benjamin Song, was charged with multiple counts of attempted murder after shooting at federal agents during an attack on an ICE facility in Texas. Another, Willem Van Spronsen, was killed in 2019 while trying to firebomb a federal detention center in Washington State. Both men were members of self-described “John Brown Clubs.”

After Patton’s blog spread across social media, Howard University quickly issued a statement distancing itself from her comments.

“Howard University condemns all forms of violence, particularly actions that may result in the loss of life,” the university said. “The University remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding and protecting the First Amendment rights of free expression. However, the views and opinions expressed by individual faculty, staff, or students are solely their own and should not be construed as reflecting the official stance of Howard University.”

The school’s statement underscored that while free speech is protected, encouraging violence has no place in higher education. Patton declined to respond when asked about her post.