Chicago Board of Education President Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson resigned under pressure Thursday after a series of antisemitic, misogynistic and conspiratorial social media posts generated a wave of outrage that stretched from the Chicago City Council to Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Johnson, who is not related to Mayor Brandon Johnson, stepped down hours after Pritzker called for him to resign.
“Any person charged with the stewardship of the Chicago Public School Board must exemplify focused, inclusive, and steady leadership,” said Pritzker, who is Jewish. “The views expressed in the current chair’s posts – antisemitism, misogyny, fringe conspiracy theories – very clearly do not meet that standard. 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.”
Less than 24 hours ago, the mayor defended his pick to lead the CPS board through one of the most tumultuous times in the school district’s history.
“It in no way reflects, I believe, his commitment to ensuring that every single child in our public school system is seen and heard and valued,” the mayor said. “He has expressed his sorrow for those statements. And he will release a full statement and he will continue to seek atonement in the coming days, working with the Jewish community and really working across the city of Chicago to make sure voices are fully heard.”
On Thursday, the mayor said in a statement that he had requested Mitchell Johnson’s resignation, less than a week after the new CPS board chair was sworn in.
“Reverend Mitchell Johnson’s statements were not only hurtful but deeply disturbing,” Mayor Johnson said. “I want to be clear: antisemitic, misogynistic, and conspiratorial statements are unacceptable.”
Rev. Mitchell Ikenna Johnson addresses the news media on Monday, Oct. 7 after being named to the Chicago Board of Education by Mayor Brandon Johnson. (
Forty of the 50 members of the Chicago City Council called for Mitchell Johnson’s resignation following reporting from media outlet Jewish Insider that highlighted multiple anti-Israeli, pro-Palestinian Facebook posts Johnson made since the Hamas-led attack on Israel last October.
Ald. Debra Silverstein (50th Ward), who circulated that letter, wrote that the social media posts regarding the war between Israel and Hamas had “crossed major red lines into overt antisemitism.”
“His continued role on the school board is non-negotiable,” the letter states, “both he and Mayor Johnson must act now to correct this terrible mistake.”
Mitchell Johnson on Wednesday apologized to “the Jewish community” for those social media posts in an interview with WBEZ and the Chicago Sun-Times, stating they were “clearly reactive and insensitive.”
But on Thursday, additional controversial social media posts from Mitchell Johnson’s Facebook account were circulated online. In one, he shared a post that described the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks as an “inside job.” In another, he commented “Sad Facts” on a post criticizing the way women handle money in comparison to men.
Pritzker previously said there should have been more vetting done before Mitchell Johnson was appointed to the board.
The mayor declined Wednesday to answer questions about whether his team vetted their board president pick’s social media activity before tapping him for the high profile role.
Next week’s election marks the first time Chicago residents will have the opportunity to choose members of the city’s school board.
The mayor said he will appoint a replacement for Mitchell Johnson.
The CPS board will meet as scheduled for its first regular meeting after the entire previous board abruptly resigned en masse early last month. Those resignations came amid continuing turmoil between the mayor and Chicago Public Schools CEO Pedro Martinez.
Martinez has said he rejected the mayor’s request to resign and only the Board of Education has the ability to remove the district CEO.
