Members of the Humble Independent School District Black community, elected officials, and leaders are calling for the removal of the newly appointed Superintendent Roger Brown for using a racially charged word.
The incident was brought forth by Humble ISD’s chief education support service officer Henry Phipps during a public hearing.
Phipps stated that he was one of the 100 employees who heard Brown say he wanted to “lynch the mayor,” referring to Mayor John Whitmire, and “hang him from a tree” for how the mayor dealt with electricity issues during Hurricane Beryl.
Brown, who leads a school district with more than 48,000 students—26% African American and 38.3% Hispanic students—has apologized for the remark.
During a school board meeting, he explained how a photo showing “the struggles of daily living” in the Old West caught his eye, which is when he made the comment about lynching.
“Do you remember when Hurricane Beryl hit last summer and how we wanted to lynch CenterPoint and the mayor?” Brown said.
He added, “This was in reference to being without power and air for days but then I turned to this picture and I said, ‘But they never had it.’”
Brown insisted that he never meant for his exaggerated comment to be taken literally.
The remarks provoked a swift response from the Houston NAACP, which organized a town hall at The Luke Church, where community leaders condemned the superintendent’s use of a term rooted in racial violence.
Bishop James Dixon II accused Brown of using his position to make racially derogatory comments and called for his removal through a legal process.
He linked the incident to a nationwide rollback on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, saying, “The leader of the Humble ISD has made some of the most egregious, insulting, offensive, derogatory comments possible.”
Dixon asserted, “The language of someone who absolutely has no self-control, self-awareness, no socioeconomic reality.”
Jackie Anderson, chair of the Houston NAACP education committee and president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, called for accountability, believing that if Brown could use the word “lynch,” it reflected his true feelings.
“When we hear about egregious acts of things that are said by people who are leading us and leading our district and our children, we need to be upset about it,” Anderson stated.
Addressing the audience, she added, “I’ve never used such a word about anybody at any time, and I think it’s highly inappropriate.”
Sergio Lira, president of the Houston chapter of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), emphasized that there is no excuse for invoking a term laden with anti-Latino history.
Lira highlighted that lynching is not merely a historical reference but a reality that has claimed thousands of lives, including at least 871 Mexican Americans after the Civil War.
“When you use words that are unprofessional, inappropriate, and offensive, that tells me that you’re not professional,” he remarked while urging Brown to resign.
He continued, “You’re not competent to lead a district where the vast majority of students are minority students.”
Several community members echoed this sentiment, saying Brown’s language underscored long-standing issues of discrimination and inequity in the Humble ISD, especially for Black and Latino students.
Attorneys in attendance called for an immediate lawsuit against the district while urging community members to support school board candidates in the upcoming trustee elections scheduled for May.
These candidates, they hope, would take decisive action to remove the superintendent should the current board of trustees fail to act.
Attorney Ima Turner, a member of the Lake Houston Civic Engagement Coalition, criticized the Humble ISD school board for not condemning Brown’s “lynching” comment.
She argued that the current board is unlikely to be challenged until the voters take action, saying, “I struggle to find the nexus between that picture [that Brown referred to] and his use of the word ‘lynching’ to ‘lynch the mayor’ and personnel from CenterPoint who worked so desperately hard to get us back.”
Veteran educator Terry Phillips, who has 53 years of experience, also voiced her concerns, pointing out that issues within the school district have largely been ignored.
Recalling her advocacy for Black and brown children in California, where she previously worked, Phillips warned of a similar pattern for Humble ISD.
“The tsunami has been coming as far as the Humble ISD is concerned,” she stated.
“I saw it when I came here. Nobody cared to recognize it. And now it’s cresting.”
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