New Chicago school board president resigns after 'disturbing' statements, mayor says
The recently appointed president of Chicago's school board resigned Thursday after media outlets uncovered multiple controversial social media posts that state and local leaders called sexist, antisemitic and conspiratorial.
The Rev. Mitchell Johnson, who was officially sworn as the president of the Chicago Board of Education just last week, resigned effective immediately Thursday upon Mayor Brandon Johnson's request. Mitchell Johnson was among seven new board members who were appointed by the mayor after the previous board resigned en masse earlier this month.
"Reverend Mitchell Johnson’s statements were not only hurtful but deeply disturbing," Brandon Johnson said in a statement Thursday. "I want to be clear: antisemitic, misogynistic, and conspiratorial statements are unacceptable."
Reports from the Chicago Sun-Times and Jewish Insider earlier this week revealed that Mitchell Johnson had made multiple public and private Facebook posts that were deemed antisemitic and misogynistic. The media outlets reported that Mitchell Johnson often wrote pro-Hamas and anti-Israel posts, which the Jewish Insider called "inflammatory."
According to a post shared by NBC 5 Chicago political reporter Mary Ann Ahern, Mitchell Johnson posted an image that stated: "When a man earns money he dreams of giving his family and wife the best. But when a woman earns money she feels she does not need her man and her family. Sounds harsh but it’s reality.” He captioned the post with "Sad Facts.”
In another post, Mitchell Johnson reposted a photo of a 9/11 conspiracy theory in January that said "3,000 experts agree: 9/11 really was an inside job" with the caption “Facts!!”
Mitchell Johnson's resignation is the latest development in the Chicago school board's ongoing leadership crisis. Brandon Johnson has been under intense scrutiny after the entire school board announced their resignations on Oct. 4.
The previous board stepped down amid a dispute between the mayor and Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez over the school district’s budget gaps, according to WBEZ Chicago. The new school board was appointed on Oct. 24.
Brandon Johnson said Thursday that the remaining six members of the school board will proceed to meet as scheduled on Friday and that a new person to will be chosen to replace Mitchell Johnson "promptly."
Calls for Rev. Mitchell Johnson's resignation
After the social media posts came to light, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and dozens of city leaders called on Mitchell Johnson to resign.
In a statement earlier Thursday, Pritzker said it was "in the best interest of our schools and our children."
"Any person charged with the stewardship of the Chicago Public School Board must exemplify focused, inclusive, and steady leadership. The views expressed in the current Chair’s posts – antisemitism, misogyny, fringe conspiracy theories – very clearly do not meet that standard," Pritzker said in the statement. "We owe it to our students, families, and teachers to provide the highest quality education, and that begins at the top by setting a positive example of kindness and inclusivity."
The governor's statement came after 40 of the city's 50 alderpersons signed a letter on Wednesday urging Brandon Johnson to remove Mitchell Johnson from the school board. The alderpersons called Mitchell Johnson's appointment "a terrible mistake" and criticized the mayor for not thoroughly vetting school board appointees.
They noted that Mitchell Johnson made frequent posts following the start of the Israel-Hamas war last year that appeared to support Hamas and "collectively blaming all Jews for Israel's military decisions."
"Rev. Johnson took his disdain for Jews even further, holding American Jews responsible for the actions of a military halfway across the world," the letter reads. "In December, he wrote: 'My Jewish colleagues appear drunk with the Israeli power and will live to see their payment."
Mitchell Johnson initially said he would not resign and apologized for the social media posts on Wednesday, the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ reported. He also acknowledged that some of the posts "could be construed as antisemitic," according to the Chicago Sun-Times.
"Let me start by apologizing to the Jewish community for the remarks I posted, which were clearly reactive and insensitive," Mitchell Johnson told the Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ in an interview. "Since that time, I have asked for and received feedback from my Jewish friends and colleagues who helped me be more thoughtful as I addressed these sensitive matters."