North Cook News

Parents' rights advocacy group Awake Illinois recently highlighted the amount of money District 219 paid for hosted speaking events by Calvin Terrell. 

Terrell was reportedly paid over six figures for providing his focus on “white supremacy and misogyny.” 

“On November 28, 2022, Awake Niles Township sent a FOIA request to District 219 inquiring about the costs and payments made to Calvin Terrell for his services,” Awake Illinois said on its website. “We received a response on December 12, and it was shocking. The FOIA revealed that the school district spent over $100k for Terrell's services and expenses.” “We'd like to know who approved these expenses. If the school board members claim ignorance of these expenditures, then we have serious problems. A check and balance protocol should be in place when spending taxpayer dollars. The school is failing students academically, and there even have been complaints that the sports programs are lacking proper equipment for athletes.” 

Awake Illinois released a batch of FOIAs showing the expenses.

Terrell’s social media is full of dog whistle white versus black rhetoric creating more division among races. “Again, Black is merciful, forgiving, and even helpful in the face of hateful whiteness. When Black folk and Non-whites stand up for our survival, hateful arrogant ignorant type of Whites continue to shoot us down with bullets words or legislation. The evil is clear. Blessings!” he notes in one tweet.

Terrell was scandalized in the press earlier in his career for inappropriate content. At the time, he was accused of inserting political content into “anti-bullying” presentations. “The outcome of this misstep was that content was presented which was developmentally inappropriate for the student population.” Amherst Superintendent Maria Geryk said in a statement. EAG News reported on the incident. “Administrators should have known that dragging students into discussions of very sensitive subjects is the core stratagem of the social justice movement. A quick look at Calvin Terrell’s website would have given them a good idea beforehand — assuming they didn’t already know,” EAG News noted.