The lately appointed president of Chicago’s college board resigned Thursday after media shops uncovered a number of controversial social media posts that state and native leaders known as sexist, antisemitic and conspiratorial.
The Rev. Mitchell Johnson, who was formally sworn because the president of the Chicago Board of Schooling simply final week, resigned efficient instantly Thursday upon Mayor Brandon Johnson’s request. Mitchell Johnson was amongst seven new board members who had been appointed by the mayor after the earlier board resigned en masse earlier this month.
“Reverend Mitchell Johnson’s statements weren’t solely hurtful however deeply disturbing,” Brandon Johnson said in a statement Thursday. “I need to be clear: antisemitic, misogynistic, and conspiratorial statements are unacceptable.”
Reviews from the Chicago Sun-Times and Jewish Insider earlier this week revealed that Mitchell Johnson had made a number of private and non-private Fb posts that had been deemed antisemitic and misogynistic. The media shops reported that Mitchell Johnson usually wrote pro-Hamas and anti-Israel posts, which the Jewish Insider known as “inflammatory.”
In line with a put up shared by NBC 5 Chicago political reporter Mary Ann Ahern, Mitchell Johnson posted a picture that said: “When a person earns cash he desires of giving his household and spouse the very best. However when a girl earns cash she feels she doesn’t want her man and her household. Sounds harsh however it’s actuality.” He captioned the put up with “Unhappy Information.”
In one other put up, Mitchell Johnson reposted a photograph of a 9/11 conspiracy idea in January that mentioned “3,000 consultants agree: 9/11 actually was an inside job” with the caption “Information!!”
Mitchell Johnson’s resignation is the newest improvement within the Chicago college board’s ongoing management disaster. Brandon Johnson has been below intense scrutiny after all the college board introduced their resignations on Oct. 4.
The earlier board stepped down amid a dispute between the mayor and Chicago Public Faculties CEO Pedro Martinez over the varsity district’s funds gaps, in line with WBEZ Chicago. The brand new college board was appointed on Oct. 24.
Brandon Johnson mentioned Thursday that the remaining six members of the varsity board will proceed to satisfy as scheduled on Friday and {that a} new individual to can be chosen to exchange Mitchell Johnson “promptly.”
Requires Rev. Mitchell Johnson’s resignation
After the social media posts got here to mild, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and dozens of metropolis leaders known as on Mitchell Johnson to resign.
In an announcement earlier Thursday, Pritzker mentioned it was “in the very best curiosity of our faculties and our kids.”
“Any individual charged with the stewardship of the Chicago Public College Board should exemplify targeted, inclusive, and regular management. The views expressed within the present Chair’s posts – antisemitism, misogyny, fringe conspiracy theories – very clearly don’t meet that commonplace,” Pritzker mentioned within the assertion. “We owe it to our college students, households, and lecturers to supply the best high quality training, and that begins on the prime by setting a constructive instance of kindness and inclusivity.”
The governor’s assertion got here after 40 of the town’s 50 alderpersons signed a letter on Wednesday urging Brandon Johnson to take away Mitchell Johnson from the varsity board. The alderpersons known as Mitchell Johnson’s appointment “a horrible mistake” and criticized the mayor for not totally vetting college board appointees.
They famous that Mitchell Johnson made frequent posts following the beginning of the Israel-Hamas struggle final yr that appeared to help Hamas and “collectively blaming all Jews for Israel’s navy selections.”
“Rev. Johnson took his disdain for Jews even additional, holding American Jews liable for the actions of a navy midway internationally,” the letter reads. “In December, he wrote: ‘My Jewish colleagues seem drunk with the Israeli energy and can stay to see their fee.”
Mitchell Johnson initially mentioned he wouldn’t resign and apologized for the social media posts on Wednesday, the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ reported. He additionally acknowledged that a few of the posts “could possibly be construed as antisemitic,” in line with the Chicago Solar-Occasions.
“Let me begin by apologizing to the Jewish neighborhood for the remarks I posted, which had been clearly reactive and insensitive,” Mitchell Johnson informed the Chicago Solar-Occasions and WBEZ in an interview. “Since that point, I’ve requested for and acquired suggestions from my Jewish pals and colleagues who helped me be extra considerate as I addressed these delicate issues.”
( headline and story edited by our employees and is revealed from a syndicated feed.)
