Richard Bilkszto Wiki – Richard Bilkszto Biography
As a result of a lawsuit alleging emotional distress over the anti-racist trainings and the results that followed, former principal Richard Bilkszto committed suicide, prompting a Toronto school board and the education minister to announce investigations into a professional development training on Thursday. Critical race theory themes were discussed during the workshops. Richard Bilkszto, a 60-year-old former principal who was accused of being racist during a training, filed a lawsuit against the Toronto District School Board for mental distress before he passed away.
In his lawsuit, Bilkszto claimed that Kike Ojo-Thompson, the owner of the KOJO Institute, had said that Canada was racist and had “never counted on its anti-black history.” The lawsuit claims that Bilkszto was found guilty of appearing to undercut a black lady when he challenged the instructor’s remarks and expressed disagreement with them. Ojo-Thompson allegedly remarked, “We are here to talk about racism against black people, but you in your whiteness think you can tell me what is really going on with black people,” according to the lawsuit brought out by the Foundation Against Racism and Intolerance.
Richard Bilkszto Age
Richard Bilkszto was 60 years old.
Richard Bilkszto Cause of Death
Bilkszto sued the district rather than Ojo-Thompson directly. She has refuted the claims made against her in the FAIR lawsuit and chose not to speak right away when Fox News asked her to. The director claimed that for holding similar views, people referred to him as a “white supremacist.” The training’s consequences triggered more problems, and the family believes that the unpleasant setting had a negative impact on Bilkszto’s mental health. The claims made by Bilkszto were deemed “serious and disturbing” by Stephen Lecce, the minister of education, on Thursday.
According to a spokeswoman, his team will conduct a study and offer recommendations to make sure “this never happens again.” He continued, “As we remember an educator who truly went above and beyond for his students, I extend my profound condolences to Richard’s family and friends. “No employee should experience harassment while on the job.” After his passing, the director’s family released a statement citing the district’s KOJO training as a contributing factor in the director’s emotional hardship.
Critical race theory is promoted by equity consultant KOJO, who oversaw the training in question. According to CRT, certain individuals are unfairly treated in society based on their skin tone. He calls the notion of success based on merit a “myth” and divides races according to levels of privilege, with whites being unfairly favored.By applying this lens, its early proponents held that the deep-seated systemic oppression that they claimed was purposefully ingrained in all social structures and systems can only be overcome by present discrimination.
Because of the outcomes we are witnessing for black pupils, anti-black racism is working throughout education, according to Ojo Thompson. Furthermore, she offered consultancy to businesses, governments, etc. and said that racism is ingrained in all systems.Ojo-Thompson apparently recalled his disagreement from the previous session and used Bilkszto’s attempts to refute his assertions as a “real life” example of someone who supported white supremacy during a follow-up meeting a week later. Navigating the education system’s “whiteness” is a daily battle, according to Ojo Thomson.
“Legacy-based factors, not natural white dominance, are to blame. Likewise, it is not normal for blackness to be subordinated. Similar to other instances from kojo’s crt, the organization’s slide deck on implementing an equitable
agenda condemns “eurocentric/anglocentric curriculum,” “assimilationist culture,” and “school disciplinary policies.” The slide presentation makes the argument that organizations, like the educational system, can have an impact on the district community and society.
How are institutions using their influence and closeness to shape the local narrative, he wondered? Furthermore, KOJO demands that inequalities be eliminated by “[t]orks that focus on the systemic and structural context.” Ojo-Thompson also adheres to another fundamental principle of critical theory, which holds that people can be members of various subjugated groups. “Intersectionality” is the name of the concept.
We experience discrimination and oppression in a variety of entwined ways with every identity that is subjugated as a result of legacies. Every form of oppression affects the others, according to OjoThompson. He got in touch with the Toronto district for a response, citing a previous announcement that they were conducting a “investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Richard Bilkszto.” King International Advisory Group, a third-party organization, will be used by the district to carry out its study. “
It is our intention that this investigation be conducted in a professional, sensitive, and respectful manner,” the district stated. In an earlier statement, the KOJO Institute said: “The death of Richard Bilkszto is a tragedy, and all of us at the KOJO Institute offer our condolences to his loved ones.” All of the accusations were rejected by him, and he added: “This incident is being staged to discredit and stifle the work of all those committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion.” “
The KOJO Institute will fully collaborate with Ministry officials and welcomes the assessment of this issue by Minister for Education Stephen Lecce. The Toronto District School Board’s actions after our workshop ended more than two years ago, in our opinion, are best investigated by the Ministry of Education, who is also in the best position to do so. Mr. Bilkszto made false statements about an anti-black racism workshop that occurred in the spring of 2021. We were just made aware of Mr. Bilkszto’s unresolved case against the Toronto District School Board in June 2023, in response to media requests for comment.
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