Based on the results of an internal inquiry by The Centre Square, Washington State removed the director of the Office of Equity tasked with combating racism.
After being hired in 2021, Dr. Karen Johnson was dismissed by Gov. Jay Inslee on May 17 due to “inappropriate conduct,” which included “insensitive comments.” An internal review conducted in November revealed that the insensitive comments were racial slurs and were disclosed nine days later.
It turns out the anti-racism hire was racist.
For instance, Johnson was overheard telling a white employee not to wear her hair in braids because it constitutes “cultural appropriation.”
According to The Centre Square, there are further allegations that Dr. Johnson became “infuriated” and ordered her staff to log off the meeting when CFO David Schumacher pointed out that she did not know what the term “paternalistic” meant. Johnson went berserk when the dictionary definition was read.
Dr. Johnson allegedly “alluded” to receiving communications from God, and she reportedly told specific staff that if they didn’t accept their positions, they were failing God.
Dr. Johnson, who is Black, told a Mexican staffer that she didn’t trust Mexicans. She said when it suits their needs, Mexicans pretend to be White.
Additionally, Johnson was found to have publicly chastised staff and was generally disorganized, and she lacked adequate structure and process, according to the investigation’s findings (which included over a dozen witnesses and 2.649 pages of data).
According to the investigation, five of the office’s original seventeen workers quit between 2021 and 2022. Everyone who left the company blamed Dr. Johnson’s workplace culture, calling it disrespectful and chaotic.
When two employees attended a meeting in the governor’s office without Johnson’s knowledge or approval, Johnson “publicly chastised” one and “shamed” the other in a private and public meeting.
Johnson claims that “she was assigned personnel who lacked the requisite skill set to operate with emotional maturity.”
Johnson would “generally distrust” them since at least two were Mexican.
