Auon’tai Anderson, former vice president of the Denver school board, is dropping his bid to represent northeast Denver in the Colorado House of Representatives and instead has launched an education nonprofit to work with school board members across the state.
Anderson cited the multiple Black candidates seeking the House District 8 seat held by departing Democrat Leslie Herod as his reason for suspending his campaign, saying in a news release that “such scenarios have historically led to the division of votes, often resulting in the loss of Black representation.”
“This decision transcends my personal aspirations and reflects my commitment to the community and maintaining Black representation in our legislature,” Anderson said in the news release announcing his decision.
Anderson’s new nonprofit is called the Center for Advancing Black Excellence in Education and will work to find and coach potential school board candidates so that they are “ready to serve on day one,” he said in an interview Monday.
“I want to be able to create that pipeline for future school board members,” Anderson said, adding that the nonprofit is nonpartisan and will not endorse candidates in the future.
“We won’t be getting into the political side,” he said. “This is school board 101.”
However, the center will work with school districts to pass policies similar to those at Denver Public Schools, such as the Know Justice, Know Peace resolution the Board of Education passed in 2020 to make the district’s curriculum more inclusive of Black, Latino and Indigenous history, Anderson said.
“We look forward to partnering with school board members and giving them the tools to implement these policies,” he said, adding, “This isn’t about politics. This is about making sure Black students in our state are uplifted”
Anderson, a Democrat, was one of the most high-profile members of the Denver board before his term ended last year. He had planned to run for re-election, but ended that campaign to run for Herod’s House seat after the March shooting at East High School — a move he previously attributed to frustration with the previous legislative session, including a failed bill to ban the sale or purchase of assault weapons.
Anderson received national recognition for his leadership during the 2020 racial justice protests in Denver and helped lead the DPS school board’s vote to remove school resource officers, or SROs, that same year. (He opposed the return of SROs to Denver school buildings last year.)
But Anderson’s time on the board was also marked by controversies, including a 2021 investigation into anonymous allegations of sexual assault. That investigation determined the sexual assault allegations were unfounded, but Anderson was censured by the school board for flirting with a 16-year-old online before knowing her age and for making coercive and intimidating social media posts.
Last year, the school board also drew scrutiny for public infighting among members, disagreements with city officials — including former Mayor Michael Hancock and City Council members — and directors spending tens of thousands to travel to conferences.
Anderson’s new nonprofit will continue work that he already undertakes, such as partnering with other organizations to offer free haircuts, manicures and backpacks to students before they head to school. It also includes the Black Santa Project, which provides toys to children in metro Denver, according to its website.
Anderson, as CEO, is the sole employee at the nonprofit. The center has three board members: MiDian Holmes, chief executive officer of The Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership; DPS school board member Michelle Quattlebaum; and state Rep. Regina English, a Colorado Springs Democrat, according to the website.
“Beyond policy, this (nonprofit) is going to be a game changer in how we approach education and access to that education for Black students in our districts,” Holmes said Monday.
The nonprofit initially will focus on Colorado school boards, but already has heard from people from California, Georgia and Arizona who are interested in working with the organization, Anderson said.
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