In a statement to KTVU, a college spokesperson from Hughes Hall said, "We have been made aware that a reportedly racist comment was shared among members of an external group which had hired college conferencing facilities.
PHX PRODIGY HACKS HOW TO
"I ended the speech by encouraging others to learn how to fight racism in its many different forms and to take this experience as a moment of empowerment as I was," Hofstetter said.
Then he challenged others to take this as a learning opportunity and provocation for change. "I explained his incredible lack of self-awareness and how he feels inherently superior to communities of color and how disgustingly dangerous that is," Hofstetter shared.
Buckley before the Cambridge Union.Īnd Hofstetter did not shy away from telling the student how hurtful and toxic his actions were. He seized the moment to educate the group about his city’s roots entwined with the Black Panther Party in the 1960s.Īnd he told the group that he celebrated the fact that he was speaking of his own experiences as a Black man only miles away from where author James Baldwin delivered his historic speech, "The American Dream is at the expense of the American Negro." That speech came during the famous 1965 debate that Baldwin won against William F. In his impromptu and powerful speech, Hofstetter went on to share his background growing up in Oakland. The young Oakland man also stressed that he was no stranger to acts of racism, and how it spurred him to launch his tech company, GHTech Inc., so he could actively use his skills to fight systemic oppression within the digital world and beyond. "I explained how actively violent his message was to me at that moment," he said as he pointed out to the group that he was the only Black student in the program and how he and Floyd shared the same first name. "I explained the devastation of George Floyd’s murder, the socioeconomic conditions Black Americans are under and the systemic oppression we face in the United States," the Oakland man shared. Hofstetter proceeded to tell of the significance of that painful moment forever marked in American history. And then he directly asked the student what he actually knew about the killing of George Floyd. He called up the student, who's not American, and asked him to stand before the group, which was made up of other international students.
PHX PRODIGY HACKS SERIES
Hofstetter, who’s behind a series of apps and programs designed to fight systemic racism, embraced this moment even further as a teaching opportunity. "I tasked him to stand, he confessed to everyone that he sent the message," the Bay Area man shared, though he said that the apology he was offered was unauthentic and condescending, and the student’s demeanor demonstrated that he hadn’t learned much from the experience. Equipped with his "indisputable evidence," Hofstetter confronted the student. "I found the student responsible very quickly," he said, adding, "I take my work and threats very seriously, so there wasn’t a question of if I can do it, it was how fast can I find the person responsible."Īnd then he really got to work. It took a mere few minutes for him to hack into the system. And with no one coming forward, Hofstetter put his skills to work. After that half hour window passed, the instructors were able to narrow down the origin of the message to two devices. "Within that 30 minutes the student has the opportunity to come forward and take accountability," he told the group and warned, "Otherwise I'm going to get my laptop from my room, hack into the network and trace the image back to the exact device the student used."Īnd that’s exactly what he ended up doing. Then Hofstetter stood up again, as he was not to miss the opportunity in this moment to use his skills as both a tech expert and educator.įirst, he let the group know about his background in computer programming and said that he would give whomever responsible for the message 30 minutes to confess. The program leaders responded by gathering devices from students to investigate. When it was apparent the message had been sent widely to the group, he went to the course director and instructors to alert them of what had happened. So he stood up, called for the room’s attention and asked if others received the same message. "Someone wanted to hurt me," he told KTVU. "I not only realized I was the only Black man in the room but also that no one was going to speak up," Hofstetter explained. SEE ALSO: New CA law removes racist language from original property deeds SEE ALSO: Increasing calls for recently-appointed San Francisco school board member to resign after racist comments After a few minutes went by, the Oakland native said it was clear it was up to him to address the abhorrent situation. Hofstetter said there was a ripple of shock that went through the room, with students whispering and some even laughing.