Howard Professor Urges White Allies to Emulate John Brown

Howard University journalism professor Stacey Patton published a Substack essay titled 'John Brown Didn’t Ask Enslaved People How to Be A Good White Ally,' arguing that well-meaning white allies should stop asking Black people how to help and instead emulate abolitionist John Brown’s urgent willingness to act. She wrote, 'Be like John Brown. Ask yourself, what am I willing to burn so somebody else can breathe?' and described the repeated question 'What can I do?' as a form of 'emotional outsourcing' that recenters the asker. Coverage notes Brown led the Pottawatomie massacre and the 1859 Harpers Ferry raid—actions that resulted in multiple deaths, his capture, conviction for treason and murder, and execution. Conservative and right-leaning outlets seized on Patton’s invocation of Brown to accuse her of endorsing violence and extremism and to question the propriety of such rhetoric from a university professor. She also argued that Black communities should not be expected to educate white people on dismantling white supremacy.