A professor at Howard University has sparked controversy by urging White supporters of leftist causes to emulate a notorious figure from pre-Civil War America. The professor, Stacey Patton, who teaches journalism at the prestigious Washington, D.C. institution, suggested that White allies should take inspiration from John Brown, a radical abolitionist who was hanged for leading violent actions.

In a recent blog post titled “John Brown Didn’t Ask Enslaved People How to Be A Good White Ally,” Patton expressed her frustration with White liberals who frequently ask her how they can become better allies to minority communities. She proposed that instead of seeking guidance, they should model themselves after Brown, who is infamous for his militant methods.

John Brown gained notoriety during the “Bleeding Kansas” period before the Civil War. In 1856, he led the Pottawatomie massacre, where he and fellow abolitionists executed five settlers in Kansas, at least three of whom supported slavery, by removing them from their homes and killing them.

Stacey Patton, who has previously served as an associate professor at Morgan State University, has been vocal about racial issues, as seen during her lecture at the University of Tennessee titled “How Killing Black Children is an American Tradition” in February 2017. (Photo credit: Alex Phillips/The Daily Beacon)

Brown’s most audacious act came in October 1859, when he and 21 men attacked a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, then part of Virginia, intending to incite a slave rebellion. The plan failed to garner much support from local slaves, and a local militia quickly opposed Brown’s forces. The ensuing conflict resulted in the deaths of four townspeople, including Heyward Shepherd, a freed slave, who was among those caught in the crossfire.

After 10 of his men were killed, Brown was captured. He was later tried for treason and eventually hanged.

“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. 

“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,” Patton wrote. “He saw the horror for what it was and decided that ending this racist f—–y mattered more than being understood.”

An entrance sign near the main gate at Howard University October 25, 2021 in Washington, DC.  (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

She explains in the piece that trying to guide White people in their allyship is “exhausting as hell.”

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

“We are not the architects. We are the collateral damage. You don’t ask the people choking on the smoke to explain how to put out the blaze,” she continued. “You go get the damn hose. You stop pretending you don’t see the flames. That’s the real answer: you already know what to do. Be honest: you just don’t want to lose the warmth that fire gives you.”

Later in the piece, she conceded that White allies don’t have to die like Brown.

“If you don’t want to die like John Brown, fine,” Patton wrote. “But understand that somebody always does.”

Historically Black college Howard University in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 1, 2022.  (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Brown’s name has recently been invoked during the national discourse on left-wing extremism. 

Benjamin Song, a long-time Antifa agitator, was recently charged with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents in addition to three counts of discharging a firearm stemming from an ambush-style shooting at an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas. A dozen others were charged in the plot. 

Song was identified as a member of the John Brown Gun Club — named for Brown — after he was sued in 2023 by a right-wing group called the New Columbia Movement. 

Benjamin Song is wanted for his alleged involvement in the targeted attack against ICE agents in Alvarado, Texas on July 4, 2025.  (FBI)

The gun club is listed as a “far-left” group by the Counter Extremism Project. 

Howard University condemned violence in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“Howard University condemns all forms of violence, particularly actions that may result in the loss of life,” the Office of University Communications 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.”

Patton declined to comment.