The tragic case of Richard Bilkszto, which shocked Canadians and was publicized internationally, highlights in their most extreme form, the dangers of the militant imposition of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) dogmas. On this occasion, Bilkszto, a well-respected Toronto District School Board (TDSB) principal, attended compulsory DEI sessions in which the lecturer, Kike Ojo-Thompson, upbraided him for disputing her statement that Canada was a more racist country than the United States. She apparently responded unpleasantly that, among other things, ”You in your whiteness think that you can tell me what’s really going on for Black people.” In a second session, she allegedly held Bilkszto’s comments up as a real-life example of being a white supremacist.
“Diversity – Code for anti-White racism”
ZWAAGSTRA: Woke ideology destroying diversity of thought in schools
His name was Richard Bilkszto and he had a distinguished 24-year career as a school teacher, teaching in both the United States and Canada. Most recently, he worked as a principal with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) where he consistently received outstanding performance reviews, at least until he ran afoul of the woke ideology being pushed by his employer.
Won’t happen until a new broom sweeps all of the TDSB’s commie trash into the dustbin.
Why should Vikings be diverse?
I don’t always watch ‘Strongest Viking’ competitions on cable. But the other day I was channel-hopping and became mesmerised by one. Firstly because I wasn’t previously aware that such banality was possible on television. People really watch men trying to push a stone or pull a rope? This was new data to me. But I also stayed because I was struck by the sheer lack of diversity.
A Racist Smear. A Tarnished Career. And the Suicide of Richard Bilkszto.
Kike Ojo-Thompson, a diversity trainer in Toronto, was explaining to her class of 200 or so public school administrators that Canada is a much more racist country than the United States.
“Canada is a bastion of white supremacy and colonialism,” Thompson said to a sea of nodding heads squeezed into Zoom. “The racism we experience is far worse here than there.”
It was April 26, 2021, and Thompson was leading attendees through a session on systemic inequity.
Does KOJO Kontroversy Spell Grift’s End?
Anti-racism, diversity training under threat, say Black community leaders at Queen’s Park rally
Black community leaders rallied at Queen’s Park on Wednesday to fight against what they see as threats to anti-racism, diversity, and equity training in Ontario schools.
Advocates feel that work is under attack after the death by suicide of a former Toronto District School Board principal last month.
WARMINGTON: Plot thickens in principal’s tragic suicide
The plot has thickened in the tragic suicide of a school principal, as documents now show the equity and diversity training — alleged to have led to his downfall — was awarded as a sole-sourced contract.
Fox to probe chicken death
TDSB launches investigation in wake of former principal’s suicide
The Toronto District School Board said Thursday it is launching an investigation in the wake of the recent suicide of a former principal who said he was harassed and bullied during anti-racism training sessions held two years ago.
Richard Bilkszto, a 60-year-old retired principal, sued the TDSB earlier this year, alleging that his reputation was “systemically demolished” during two anti-Black racism training sessions in the spring of 2021 when, after he had challenged some of the speaker’s comments, he was allegedly singled out and accused of supporting white supremacy.
Diversity Programs Miss the Point of a Liberal College Education
Academia is in the midst of a generational turmoil. Blue states such as California and Oregon have recently transformed their public universities with expansive “diversity, equity and inclusion” programs that have profound implications for admissions, speech, hiring and scholarship. Red states such as Florida and Texas have recently passed legislation abolishing them, concluding that the programs that have sprung up to execute D.E.I. promote a stifling orthodoxy that undermines the pursuit of truth.
RIP, Richard Bilkszto, a Toronto Educator Who Stood up to Woke Bullying—and Paid the Price
In late April, 2021, a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) trainer named Kike Ojo-Thompson presented a lecture to senior Toronto public-school administrators, instructing them on the virulent racism that (Ojo-Thompson believes) afflicts Canadian society. Canada, she said, is a bastion of “white supremacy and colonialism,” in which the horrors unleashed by capitalism and sexism regularly lay waste to the lives of non-white and female Canadians.
Ten Reasons Why Affirmative Action Died
The end of affirmative action was inevitable. The only surprise was that such intentions gone terribly wrong lasted so long.
First, supporters of racial preferences always pushed back the goal posts for the program’s success. Was institutionalized reverse bias to last 20 years, 60 years, or ad infinitum?
Parity became defined as an absolute equality of result. If “equity” was not obtained, then only institutionalized “racism” explained disparities. And only reverse racism was deemed the cure.
The “Chilling” Effect
Florida’s tenured radicals say that my reporting is making them “nervous.” Good.
My recent reporting on radical DEI programming in state universities, which helped pave the way for the abolition of those programs by Florida governor Ron DeSantis, has apparently made left-wing academics in Florida’s public universities nervous.
Last week, University of Central Florida professor Robert Cassanello told the Tampa Bay Times that his colleagues are terrified of being exposed publicly. “They’re changing their classes or they’re not assigning books they would normally assign out of fear that if that stuff gets published that Chris Rufo is going to come and target them and tweet about them and they’ll be in the crosshairs,” Cassanello said.
White pupils excluded from extra Saturday literacy lessons
White pupils have been excluded from extra weekend literacy classes at schools in North London, The Telegraph can reveal.
Parents at a primary school in Haringey have been told that schools will fund Saturday school places for children from black and black heritage families to “accelerate progress in reading and writing whilst also developing the children’s knowledge of black history and culture”.
However, no comparable offer was made for white pupils despite parents arguing that evidence shows white working-class boys have fallen behind their peers.
This sort of diseased thinking crops up too often for it to be accidental.
Penn State professor sues the college after he claimed he was forced to teach that the English language is ‘racist’ and the ’embodiment of white supremacy’
An English professor who worked at Pennsylvania State University is suing the college on claims that they racially discriminated against him and other white staff.
Zack De Piero, 40, served as an assistant professor of English and Composition at Penn State-Abington from 2018 to 2022.
During this time he claims he was forced to grade ‘hispanic and black’ students differently and was subject to exercises centered on critical race theory where white staff were made to feel ‘terrible.’
Jamie Sarkonak: Liberals bring identity quotas to Canada Media Fund
In 2021, the Liberals said they would dramatically boost funding for the Canada Media Fund. And they did — but that funding came with diversity quotas and a new emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
It’s another bald-faced example of the Liberals infusing identity into public (or publicly-funded-but-government-adjacent) media programs to craft Canada in their image. Now, the program is beholden to diversity-based budgeting (with diversity “targets” in its largest funding branch), an identity tracking system for content producers and a “narrative positioning” policy that guides how stories about certain groups are told.
White men need not apply. I think I will now make it a personal goal to never watch anything described as Canadian content.
Cancelling Canada Day Is the Latest Form of Cultural Dictatorship From Unelected Elites
The city of Calgary has reversed its decision to cancel the July 1 fireworks and effectively dismiss Canada Day with it.
Port of Vancouver has not retreated from its position of terminating the fireworks.
In both cases, the decisions to cancel were made not by elected officials but unelected bureaucrats who decided Canada Day had become a source of controversy and July 1 should become something else other than recognizing Canada’s sovereignty, history, and heritage.