Remarks About Attorney General's Race Add Urgency to School's Cultural Training

A school board member in a southeast Michigan school district where the majority of students are black is on the hot seat for a Facebook post she made about new U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s race. (Photo via Flickr / Creative Commons)

» Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts.

A southeast Michigan school district’s ongoing cultural proficiency training took on increased urgency after a school board member made a comment on Facebook about new U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s race that the board president said could be misinterpreted in a district.

The Ann Arbor News/MLive.com reports that school board member Ellen Champagne posted the comment – “The only thing worse than a black male attorney general …” – and then linked to a story about Lynch on MSNBC.

“Is she gay or Jewish?” someone commented. “Black female,” Champagne reportedly responded.

Sharon Irvine, the school board president, told the Ann Arbor newspaper that Champagne’s comments created a sense of urgency in the board’s continuing work on cultural proficiency and board ethics in a district where 62 percent of the 4,164 students are black.

“As an elected board, we are proud of – and unequivocally committed to – to this value in our district,” she told the newspaper. “We take anything that questions this commitment very seriously.”

• Study: Parts of Michigan Among Most Racist Places in America

Board members were concerned enough about the effect the Facebook post may have had that it was cited in a resolution passed at Monday’s meeting that formalized the cultural training.

“There was initial concern that our board have an opportunity to carefully review the resolution,” she said. “However, it was clear that all members were ready to make a statement and approved the resolution unanimously.”

The Ann Arbor News said Champagne, a school board member since 2010, has not responded to a request for comment.