Elk Grove teacher sues union, claiming he can't apply for board position because he's White
ELK GROVE – An Elk Grove teacher is suing his own union for discrimination, saying the union won't let him apply for a board position because he's White.
High school history teacher Isaac Newman, thumbed through the discrimination lawsuit he filed against his own union after he tried applying for a newly created "Black, Indigenous, people of color board (BIPOC) member seat."
The position is only open to candidates who self-identify as a member of a list of racial or ethnic categories. White or caucasian is not on the list.
"I was banned from a leadership position simply because of the color of my skin," Newman said. "Ideally the position should be eliminated. I ran for it because it was a way to fight exactly what they were doing here."
Civil rights attorney Jeffrey Kravitz said the application process is a textbook case of discrimination based on race.
"This is blatant discrimination," Kravitz said. "It's essentially saying people who are not of the racial qualifications that they are favoring for this position, may not apply."
"Generally when boards put this type of position in place, it's because representation is lacking and the need for diverse voices," said Lorreen Pryor, a parent in the Elk Grove Unified School District and CEO of the Black Youth Leadership Project.
The Elk Grove Teachers Association created the so-called BIPOC position in the aftermath of 2019 data showing the Elk Grove School District suspended Black students more than any other district in the state.
"They think that discrimination today can solve discrimination yesterday," Newman said.
Now this history teacher is suing for his civil rights, claiming he's been banned from a teacher's union board seat for being White.
"This is the only one to my knowledge in the entire country that has ever been limited by race," Newman said.
The Elk Grove Teachers Association declined to comment for this report, citing the ongoing litigation.