It was basically a three-way split with Connie Bernard actually getting the most votes and Kennison, just less than 100 votes behind her with the best-funded candidate, the independent, in third, stated LSU Political Communication Associate Professor Dr. Joshua Darr. Now, a few people who've recently gone viral for calling racism out. The letter further suggests she plans to remain on the board in some capacity. BATON ROUGE, La. // <! Connie Bernard shopped while Black people discussed renaming Lee High. Follow Charles Lussier on Twitter, @Charles_Lussier. We got work to do. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, West Point removes Confederate monuments, including Robert E. Lee, Heres what was found inside second time capsule buried at site of Robert E. Lee statue, Efforts begin to open 1887 time capsule found under Lee statue, Charlottesville Robert E. Lee statue to be melted down for public art project. UPDATE: Connie Bernard has announced she's stepping down as the vice president of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board. EBR school board member seen in profanity-filled video during confrontation pleads not guilty. 854K subscribers A three-minute video of activist Gary Chambers berating and calling for the resignation of East Baton Rouge Parish School Board member Connie Bernard has gone viral.. Make her famous, so the world know some Karens are like Connie. Its unfortunate that the comments that you made were just extremely tone-deaf to our collective community, extremely tone-deaf to the students of our district, and I would be remiss if I didnt stand up to that, Tremelle Howard, the vice president of the school board, told Bernard. FAB FLIX OF THE DAY: THURSDAY, APRIL 27TH! When we dont confront elected officials, we give them permission to disrespect us and to devalue us. Both are misdemeanors. Black or white. A weak frontal system will push through the Friday AM Forecast: Plenty of sunshine today, No. On Monday, Chambers appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe.". Bernard, who did not respond to CNNs request for comment, told The Advocate on Friday that what people saw on her laptop was not her shopping, but rather a pop-up ad that she failed to close. Connie Sue Campbell Bernard (born November 20, 1961) is the owner of a public relations firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, who is a Republican former member of the East Baton Rouge School Board. She left office on January 1, 2023. I stand on that. Do you hear me. Connie again has shown who she is. According to WAFB-TV, board members cannot legally vote to remove a member, but a voter. Earlier, she apologized for the comments she made in support of not changing the school's name. Bernard has come under fire in the past after she was filmed in a 2018 video where she entered a neighbor's house and grabbed a teenager by the neck as she shouted profanities. BATON ROUGE, La. "My comments last week about the naming of Lee High School were insensitive, have caused pain for others and have led people to believe I am an enemy of people of color, and I am deeply sorry," she said. [CDATA[ // &amp;amp;lt;! Along with sharing how the video came about, Kimberly also talked about the injustices Black people face beyond the headlines and her novel Im Not Dying with You Tonight." And you should resign. Gary went on "Morning Joe" to talk about his passionate speech: As the nation watches, let me say Im humbled by the support. Connie Bernard assaulting youthBelow are links pertaining to the video, and a recent school board meeting where she defended Robert E. Lee, and seen online s. Im working to ensure that this isnt just a moment, but something that we can build momentum to create real change together. Peep her comments below: Connie Bernard shouldve resigned in 2018, she absolutely should resign now. In her resignation letter, Bernard attributedthe decision to her husband's battle with cancer and her need to assist in his care. Heres The Latest On Single-Again Kanye Wests Harassing Social Media Posts Aimed At Kim K, Lil Meech And Summer Walker Dating Rumors Heat Up: Meech Calls Cap On Bedroom Photo With Another Woman, Summer Seemingly FaceTimes Meech, Nelly & Ashanti Spin The Block, Fueling Dating Rumors While Cozied Up In Las Vegas, John Boyega BLASTED By IG Influencer Pam MacB For Allegedly Cheating On And Dehumanizing Her, Oh? Bernard, however, did not apologize for going into the house to begin with or any of her other actions that night. In a June 10 interview with the station, she voiced support for keeping the name the same today. See the Chambers full message in the video below. // ]]> The Advocate left messages with Bernard on Thursday that were not returned. 2020. Connie needs to resign. Bernard, for her part, apologized in a statement released Friday for comments she made a week earlier that anyone critical of the schools name should learn a little more about its namesake. So this is a pattern. Two years ago. During Thursdays meeting, many of Bernards fellow board members expressed their disappointment in her suggestion that people research Lee more before insisting that the school change its name. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. Scan this QR code to download the app now. She was shopping while citizens were speaking about changing the name of Lee High. Video of Chambers comments was shared widely on social media in the past few days, including by FS1 host Shannon Sharpe and NBA star LeBron James. Prosecutors who reviewed a profanity-filled viral video of East Baton Rouge Parish School Board member Connie Bernard confronting a young partygoer at a Lakeside home last summer lodged a. Lee also punished escape attempts harshly. Tramelle D. Howard - Vice President of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board - told TMZ, "Myself and other members are asking for the immediate resignation of our colleague this week.". "Her actions, as proven on the video, do not set a positive example for parents, students, or the system that she's elected to represent," said Carrie Griffin Monica, Executive Director of Stand for Children. NAACP Baton Rouge leaders similarly said the schools renaming was long overdue. Three weeks after the incident, Bernard, however, resigned from her position as vice president of the board. The time to speak on why you voted against a highly educated Black woman, a Black woman with more education than the majority of the people voting on the decision. This was not my intention when I offered to withdraw in the primary election. We are all part of the solution.. She said she knocked on the door and knows the owners of the home, whom she called close personal friends.. That needs to change in a city that is 56% Black. Weve had enough of her poor leadership. According to WAFB-TV, board members cannot legally vote to remove a member, but a voter recall could oust Bernard from her position if she decides not to resign. Watch the 2 Your Health report for Wednesday, Watch the 2 Your Health report for Tuesday, Crawfish Tracker: A good time to get boilin'. Then she got on TV last week telling Black folks we needed to learn more of Lees history. Connie needs to resign. From the moment he walked up to the podium, you already KNEW it was about to be some ish. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. After prayerful consideration and consultation with my family and friends, I will continue to serve all students as elected by my district three times," the statement read. Email the board: [CDATA[ // &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;! Lanus called to rename Lee Magnet High School earlier this month in a letter to the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. Morning sunshine will turn to mostly cloudy skies, with a few possible showers forming, as a cold front approaches the area Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Another board member, Tramelle Howard, called for Bernard's resignation following Thursday's hearing. Ahead of Thursdays meeting, Connie Bernard, a school board member, defended the schools name and told community members who supported the change to learn a little bit more about the historical figure. Here's how the Louisiana Constitution will. One school board's move to rename a Louisiana high school named after Robert E. Lee has resulted in calls for a board member to step down. Speak truth to power, stand on your convictions, let NONE of them slide, and #KeepPushing. Then she chocked a teenager in his home in 2018, she shouldve resigned then. I had intended to get up here and talk about how racist Robert E Lee was, but Im gonna talk about you, Connie, Chambers said. Katie Kennison was very close behind her in the race. Click here for December 10 election results. [CDATA[ // &amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;! dtatman@ebrschools.org, cbernard@ebrschools.org, mgaudet@ebrschools.org, jdyason@ebrschools.org, ewarejackson@ebrschools.org, dcollins1@ebrschools.org, thoward4@ebrschools.org, dlanus@ebrschools.org, Following the news conference, Bernard sent a statement to WBRZ saying she had no intention of resigning. https://t.co/NGmejhJ27S, LeBron James (@KingJames) June 20, 2020. Chambers said Bernard wasnt open to changing her stance and didnt care to hear the opinions of residents, a claim he supported by showing attendees a photo he had captured that showed Bernard shopping online during constituents presentations. Now that people are calling her out for it, shes released a statement. After a member of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board defended keeping the school's name and appeared to be shopping online during a board meeting on the name change, fellow board members and local activists are demanding her resignation. The school board ultimately voted in support of changing the name of the school. Members of the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board are calling for the resignation of a fellow member after a viral video showed her being criticized for her defense . Her term runs through 2022. This epic take-down of words went down Thursday during a Baton Rouge School Board meeting, where District 8 member Connie Bernard was publicly called out by Gary Chambers Jr., who stepped to the . NBA baller LeBron James even retweeted the video: FACTS!!! When we dont confront elected officials we give them permission to disrespect us and to devalue us. Mr. Howard said if Connie does not resign, volunteers will go door to door in her district to get enough signatures from her constituents to have her removed from office. At the June 18 board meeting, Chambers took a photo of Bernard as her laptop screen showed a shopping website and then showed it to the board as he began to speak. But thats how the privileged behave. Man taken to hospital after being stabbed Maurepas man killed in Livingston Parish motorcycle No. You are horrible, he continued. Activist Gary Chambers forcefully tore into board member Connie Bernard at Thursdays East Baton Rouge Parish School Board meeting during a discussion on whether to rename the school. The statue to the controversial Castleman has been vandalized often over the last ten years. Another board member, Dadrius Lanus wrote a lengthy post on Facebook addressing Bernard: You had every single opportunity to apologize after you embarrassed our school board on the news by openly supporting the legacy of Robert E. Lee, but you did not, he wrote. I condemn racial injustice in any form. Peep the powerful clip above. Bernard has resisted scattered calls for her to resign from the School Board altogether. Thats exactly what happened. Change the named Lee High and resign Connie. Use your voice to let EBR Schools know its time for change. // ]]&gt; "I had intended to get up here and talk about how racist Robert E. Lee was, but I'm going to talk about you, Connie, sitting over there shopping while we're talking about Robert E. Lee," said activist Gary Chambers Jr., addressing Connie Bernard at a hearing last Thursday. He said Lee was a brutal slave master, cited a slaves account of being beaten, and told the board to stop being in 1856. He also said they should name the school after someone on the right side of history, such as Louisianas first Black governor, P.B.S. ! James wrote on Twitter. You should walk out of here and resign and never come back because you are the example of racism in this community, he added. // &amp;lt;! She was a school board member 4 years ago when they voted to keep Lee associated with the school. Brianna Chambers, Cox Media Group National Content Desk, Elected official accused of shopping online during school board meeting, Connie Bernard (Image via East Baton Rouge Parish School System), KIRO 7 News Seattle facebook feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle twitter feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle youtube feed(Opens a new window), agrees with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, recommended a few black historical figures, Multiple-vehicle collision completely blocks westbound I-90 near Issaquah, Seattle Kraken defeat Colorado Avalanche in Game 7 of Round 1 of Stanley Cup playoffs, Redfin says Seattle ranks 6th among metro areas being abandoned by homebuyers, Man accused of raping same woman he was convicted of assaulting 5 years ago, Washington State Patrol responds to 5-car wrong-way crash in Milton.