Gah, Elle. There were so many better ways to handle this. When I had to deal with some trauma, my professor was glad to reschedule my exam to give me some time to cope. He did NOT go easy on me, or 'flatten the curve' to give me a better grade because a close family member had died.

A black student does not want their hard-earned transcript tainted with the idea that the professor was lenient on them because they were black. They have enough to deal with without adding that kind of baggage.