Johnson can’t deliver unity
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointment of Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson as school board president, despite his antisemitic history, adds to the turmoil in Chicago’s education system and raises serious concerns about the need for unifying leadership.
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Mayor Brandon Johnson’s choice of Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson—a figure with a record of antisemitic statements—as school board president is troubling.
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This decision, following the mass resignation of the prior board, deepens the chaos in Chicago’s education system.
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Our city’s families deserve leadership that brings people together.
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If Johnson can’t deliver unity, Chicagoans must demand someone who can.
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Johnson can't deliver unity
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Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointment of Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson as school board president, despite antisemitic history, adds to the turmoil in Chicago’s education system and raises serious concerns about the need for unifying leadership.
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Geography Republican Chair: ‘Johnson can’t deliver unity’
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SPEAKER FULL NAME, SPEAKER TITLE of the ORGANIZATION NAME said that Mayor Brandon Johnson’s appointment of Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson as school board president, despite his antisemitic history, adds to the turmoil in Chicago’s education system and raises serious concerns about the need for unifying leadership. LAST NAME made HIS/HER statement to PUBLICATION on DATE.
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The Times of Israel reported that Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson resigned as Chicago's school board president just a week into the role after backlash over antisemitic social media posts. Initially resisting calls to step down, Johnson faced mounting pressure from city council members and even Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. Mayor Brandon Johnson initially supported him but announced the president’s resignation at the mayor’s request on Thursday. Reverend Johnson had referred to Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people, as “resistance.” He also likened Zionism to Nazi ideology and claimed Jews aligned with the alt-right.
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WBEZ Chicago reported that Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson, Chicago's new Board of Education president, apologized to Jewish communities following backlash over his social media posts about the Gaza conflict, which critics deemed antisemitic and pro-Hamas. While 26 alderpersons called for his resignation, Johnson expressed regret for not being more careful in his comments. Appointed amid controversy over Mayor Brandon Johnson’s handling of Chicago schools, aspects of Reverend Johnson's past had already raised questions about his suitability for appointment by the mayor, Brandon Johnson.
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In an October 31 statement on the Board of Education president’s resignation, Mayor Johnson said “Today, I asked Chicago School Board of Education (BOE) President Reverend Mitchell Johnson for his resignation, and he resigned, effective immediately. Reverend Mitchell Johnson’s statements were not only hurtful but deeply disturbing. I want to be clear: antisemitic, misogynistic, and conspiratorial statements are unacceptable. My administration is committed to upholding the mission of transforming our public education system. It has become clear that his continued participation in the BOE would hinder the important work we need to accomplish for our schools.”
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SPEAKER FULL NAME, a resident of SPEAKER CITY NAME was first elected to the role of Chair of the ORGANIZATION in 20XX. As Chair, he/she is focused on boosting Republican voter turnout, growing the Party’s membership, and communicating the Party’s positions on issues that matter to GEOGRAPHY voters.
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