Harvard Official Apologizes for ‘Discriminatory’ Comments in Viral Video

The executive director of the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, a research center at the university, was at the center of a viral video on Saturday.

The official, Theresa Lund, was videotaped arguing with a neighbor and asking if she lived in the “affordable apartments.” She has since apologized for the exchange, which prompted a public backlash, according to The Boston Globe.

Alyson Laliberte, the neighbor, posted the video and said Lund had approached her to complain that her daughter was too loud, the Globe reported. Lund then asked Laliberte if she lived in one of the “affordable apartments” for residents of Cambridge, Mass.

Laliberte declined to comment to the Globe. In a Facebook post, she wrote that the exchange was “racist” and “discriminatory,” and that her daughter is biracial.

Lund told the Globe that her handling of the situation was “inappropriate and wrong.”

“I offered my sincere apology to her, her mother, and her daughter in person [Sunday] morning,” Lund said. “I love our community and am committed to engaging in dialogue and actions about how to make it more welcoming and pleasant for all of us to live in together.”

The Harvard Humanitarian Initiative aims to draw attention to the role of humanitarian crises in global health problems and to develop new approaches to humanitarian assistance. The initiative did not respond to The Chronicle’s request for comment.

The Globe reported that Lund’s profile had been removed from the program’s website amid the backlash. Lund’s profile is now back on the site.

Harvard University also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Follow Teghan Simonton on Twitter at @teghan_simonton, or email her at teghan.simonton@chronicle.com.