Countywide
JeffCo BoE asks for member’s resignation after “racist” Facebook posts
Donna Pike was not present at the meeting when three board members called for her to step down.
Photo courtesy of Donna Pike’s social media.
The Jefferson County Board of Education is seeking the resignation of one of its members after a series of Facebook posts drew controversy.
Donna Pike, one of the board’s five members, shared several posts on Facebook in support of Roseanne Barr, whose self-titled sitcom was cancelled by ABC last month after she posted a racist tweet. Pike also shared a photo of Valerie Jarrett — the former Obama Administration staffer whom Barr described as “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby” (sic) — with the caption “No! I’m not black! I’m Valerie Verrett (sic) and I’m a Muslim born in Iran!”
A resolution from Tuesday’s special-called BoE meeting described Pikes postings as “divisive if not inflammatory.” Board members Oscar Mann, Martha Bouyer, and Ronnie Dixon were present.
“The postings in questions are repugnant to the Board’s values and undermine public confidence in the Board’s willingness and ability to provide equitable educational and employment opportunities in an inclusive and racially unbiased environment,” it continues.
Pike told WVTM last week that she regretted making the posts. “I didn’t realize that they would be perceived as they are,” she said. She was not present at Tuesday’s meeting.
