Disturbing: Audio of Canadian Anti-Racism Training Held Prior to Principal’s Suicide

 

Former Canadian principal Richard Bilkszto. (@Quillette / Twitter)

Tragic suicide of Richard Bilkszto, 60, a principal in Canada, after being bullied and accused of “white supremacy” during “anti-racism” training.

Now, disturbing audio of the interaction between Bilkszto and speaker Kike Ojo-Thompson, founder of the KOJO Institute, has been released by The Free Press.

Bilkszto , who worked for the school district for 24 years, sued the school district earlier this year after being targeted during two “anti-racism” trainings in 2021 for challenging the speaker’s assertions that Canada is more racist than the United States.

In his lawsuit, he said his reputation was “systematically demolished” after he was singled out by speaker Ojo-Thompson and he was accused of supporting white supremacy for defending the nation.

“We are here to talk about anti-Black racism, but you in your whiteness think that you can tell me what’s really going on for Black people?” she said, according to Bilkszto’s lawsuit.

In the audio obtained by The Free Press, Ojo-Thompson brought it up again at the following session a week later.

“One of the ways that white supremacy is upheld, protected, reproduced, upkept, defended is through resistance and, like I said … I’m so lucky,” she said laughing.

 

“Who would’ve thought my luck would show up so well last week that we got perfect evidence, a wonderful example of resistance that you all got to bear witness to, so we’re going to talk about it, because, I mean, it doesn’t get better than this.”

Bilkszto filed for sick leave and asked The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board to look into the incident.

The New York Post reports:

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board looked into the incident and found that Ojo-Thompson’s conduct “was abusive, egregious and vexatious, and rises to the level of workplace harassment and bullying.”

Yet Bilkszto said his reputation was nonetheless ruined. Following a six-week medical leave later that year, the district refused to reinstate his contract.

Bilkszto claimed the refusal to reinstate the contract was a result of either his fallen reputation or as retribution for having the WSIB investigate the incident.

Despite the Board’s decision that Ojo-Thompson’s conduct was abusive, the damage to Bilkszto’s reputation was done.

His lawyer, Lisa Bildy, announced his death in a statement posted to Twitter in late July.

With his family’s permission, I am very saddened to release this statement about the passing of my client, Richard Bilkszto. pic.twitter.com/mNzMAxkp5V

— Lisa Bildy (@LDBildy) July 20, 2023