Q&A of the Day – Edwin Ferguson’s Ignorance & Bigotry
Each day I feature a listener question sent by one of these methods.
Email: brianmudd@iheartmedia.com
Social: @brianmuddradio
iHeartRadio: Use the Talkback feature – the microphone button on our station page in the iHeart app.
Today’s entry: Submitted via Talkback: If Commissioner Ferguson had no idea who Charlie Kirk was, how can he make any assessment as to his character and who he was? Shame on him.
Bottom Line: And to your comments I say Amen. In addressing today’s topic let’s breakdown what’s happened here in the case of Palm Beach County School Board member Edwin Ferguson’s ignorance, reprehensible conduct, and refusal to take accountability for his demonstrably false and slanderous statements last Wednesday at a school board meeting. When he referred to the late Charlie Kirk as a “racist bigot”, and made references comparing the assassinated Turning Point USA founder with Adolph Hitler.
On September 11th, one day after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas issued a letter to educators statewide, warning that public comments celebrating or disparaging Kirk in ways that could make students or parents "feel unwelcome" may violate state standards and risk teaching certificates. As stated by the commissioner: It has been brought to my attention that some Florida educators have posted despicable comments on social media regarding the horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk. These few are not a reflection of the great, high-quality teachers who make up the vast majority of Florida’s educators. Nevertheless, I will be conducting an investigation of every educator who engages in this vile, sanctionable behavior. The commissioner reminded educators that derogatory conduct about Kirk undermine(s) the trust of the students and families that they serve, while also stating that public educators are held to a higher accountability standard than the public at large.
In response, Ferguson, while addressing the commissioner’s letter said this: I as a teacher don't miss a racist, a racist bigot at that... How are you going to lose your teaching certificate for that? I hadn't even heard of him until last week... But I know enough now to know that he was not a good person. It's like saying you can't talk about Hitler because it might offend Jewish people. He referred to Kirk as racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, and homophobic. Strong statements for someone who evidentially wasn’t even aware of Charlie Kirk until he was assassinated which speaks to his general ignorance, but also to a lack of due diligence on his part, overall failure of character and dereliction of duty as a leader in public education.
Notably, as it pertains to characterizations of Charlie Kirk, only the fourth political assignation of non-officer holder in American history, and first since Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968, not only did the United States House of Representatives pass a resolution honoring Charlie Kirk last week, but the measure was bipartisan with most Democrats who voted decisively, 98, voting in favor of the resolution. What’s more, in the United States Senate, Senator Rick Scott’s resolution to honor Charlie Kirk’s birthday, October 14th, as a National Day of Remembrance passed with unanimous consent.
These underlying facts speak to Edwin Fergusson, by any reasonable standard, failing to meet the requirements of an educator under Florida law. He has shown himself to be unfit to hold the office he’s currently in and if he isn’t willing to resign, his suspension from office is the only acceptable outcome. I would call on everyone in this audience to make your voice heard on this matter to the Palm Beach County School District and to the state of Florida.