Union County NAACP urges adoption of anti‑racist curricula, criticizes past board conduct and policy choices

Reagan Shaw, speaking for the Union County branch of the NAACP, urged the Union County Board of Education to adopt anti‑racist curricula and criticized board conduct and recent policy choices she said undermine inclusion.

Shaw recounted incidents she said occurred in 2020 in which board member Travis Kiker posted an image she described as celebrating Black people being relegated to hard labor and said Chair Melissa Merrill "clicked the like button" on the post, citing coverage in the Charlotte Observer. She also said board member Gary Sides posted material she described as demeaning to Mexicans.

Shaw said the board spent more than $1 million on diversity consultants following those incidents; consultants created a citizens advisory committee that recommended hiring a diversity, equity and inclusion officer, she said. Shaw said the board did not implement those recommendations, dissolved the citizens committee and later adopted a classroom‑materials policy she described as being used to remove anti‑bullying posters (she cited a Dr. King poster as an example).

"Anti‑racist curricula is an educational imperative," Shaw said. She criticized the board for not offering the NAACP the same direct training opportunities the district provided to the Jewish Federation on antisemitism, saying the NAACP has resources to assist and asked the board to "announce our partnership loudly and proudly."

The speaker also tied recent racist incidents reported by students — including text messages directed at Black students — to what she described as an environment created by restrictive classroom‑materials rules. The board did not respond during the public‑comment time allotted for speakers.

Shaw's remarks referred to district history and public reporting; the meeting record shows no policy vote on curricula during this session.