Oakland man faces racism during abroad program at Cambridge and responds with an incredible teaching moment

George Hofstetter, 22, a native of Oakland, was founder of social activism tech site George Hofstetter Technologies. (George Hofstetter Technologie)CAMBRIDGE, England - A tech prodigy and entrepreneur from Oakland, Calif., who faced a shocking and disturbing act of racism this month while studying abroad in England, has demonstrated how to combat hate and bigotry using the skills which he called his "social justice superpower." George Hofstetter, an innovation fellow at Stanford University’s d.school, has been taking summer courses at Worcester College, at the University of Oxford and at Hughes Hall, at the University of Cambridge through the Oxford Summer Courses program.

On July 15, during a formal dinner marking the end of the program at Cambridge, he and fellow students received an appalling message sent anonymously through an iPhone AirDrop.

It showed a photo of George Floyd with the words "I hate ni**as." George Hofstetter, 22, said he and fellow students participating in an Oxford Summer Courses program received an anonymous AirDrop message that came from "I hate ni**as" on July 15, 2022. (George Hofstetter)Hofstetter said there was a ripple of shock that went through the room, with students whispering and some even laughing.

After a few minutes went by, the Oakland native said it was clear it was up to him to address the abhorrent situation.SEE ALSO: Increasing calls for recently-appointed San Francisco school board member to resign after racist commentsSEE ALSO: New CA law removes racist language from original property deeds"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. "Someone wanted to hurt me," he told KTVU.