This story was already being cited as cause for concern about corporate DEI training even before last week when it took an even darker turn. Earlier this month the National Post reported that retired Toronto principal Richard Bilkszto was suing the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) over the treatment he received during diversity training sessions.

It all began with a DEI course for TDSB administrators that started in April 2021. DEI trainer Kike Ojo-Thompson (the CEO of the KOJO Institute) led a series of sessions for TDSB higher-ups in which she made a number of familiar progressive arguments, according to Bilkszto’s court filing: Canada is a more racist place than the U.S., Canada is a “bastion of white supremacy and colonialism,” capitalism and the patriarchy are killing people, etc…

For context, the KOJO Institute has many clients in public institutions. Listed clients include the RCMP, the Ontario government, the CBC, various universities and the federal government (the official records database shows that about $100,000 in federal dollars have been spent on service contracts with KOJO). It’s likely that the public has paid for many of these training sessions…

So this training is routine in Canada but what wasn’t routine was Bilkszto’s reaction. Instead of going along with it, he stood up to the trainer. And that quickly resulted in him being told to shut up and sit down because he was white.

“To sit here and talk about facts and figures and then walk into the classroom tomorrow and say ‘Canada is just as bad as the United States,’ I think we are doing an incredible disservice to our learners,” he told the class.

Ojo-Thompson is described to have reacted with vitriol: “We are here to talk about anti-Black racism, but you in your whiteness think that you can tell me what’s really going on for Black people?” Bilkszto replied that racism is very real, and that there’s plenty of room for improvement — but that the facts still show Canada is a fairer place. Another KOJO training facilitator jumped in, telling Bilkszto that “if you want to be an apologist for the U.S. or Canada, this is really not the forum for that.” Ojo-Thompson concluded the exchange by telling the class that “your job in this work as white people is to believe” — not to question claims of racism…

In the next session, Ojo-Thompson is said to have referred to Bilkszto’s comments as an example of “resistance” that upholds white supremacy. She explained that his reference to “facts” was an attempt to derail the conversation and discredit her words, and encouraged everyone to push back when they see others being “accosted by white supremacy.”

If you’re familiar with the book White Fragility, then you’ve heard this argument before. Any resistance to DEI training is taken as evidence of white racism and proof the training is needed. As all of this was happening, no one from the district attempted to defend Bilkszto (according to his account). On the contrary, they also gave him a lecture about “male white privilege.” Bilkszto went on leave for workplace harassment and filed a claim with the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).

The WSIB adjudicator wrote in their decision that they were “satisfied that the conduct of the speaker on April 26, 2021 and May 3, 2021 was abusive, egregious and vexatious, and rises to the level of workplace harassment and bullying.”

After a brief leave of six weeks he attempted to return to work but, according to a civil lawsuit he subsequently filed, he was shut out.

Bilkszto, a contract principal for the board, returned to work after six weeks of sick leave, but wasn’t reinstated to the position he had been in prior. An additional contract for a principal term was revoked. At the time his statement of claim was filed, he’d only been able to obtain eight weeks of contract work with the school board. Between the alleged defamation and contract breaches, he’s seeking $785,000 in damages.

He filed his civil lawsuit against the school district in April 2023. The district in turn filed a lawsuit against KOJO. It’s not clear how that lawsuit would have turned out or if it would have eventually been settled out of court. Unfortunately, last week Bilkszto’s attorney announced on Twitter that he had died by suicide.

With his family's permission, I am very saddened to release this statement about the passing of my client, Richard Bilkszto. pic.twitter.com/mNzMAxkp5V

— Lisa Bildy (@LDBildy) July 20, 2023

Now that he’s gone, everyone has nice things to say about him.

The school board released a short statement on Friday, acknowledging Bilkszto’s death without mentioning his lawsuit.

“Our hearts go out to Richard’s family and loved ones,” TDSB spokesperson Ryan Bird wrote in an email. “He was a strong advocate for students — particularly those in adult and alternative education — and worked tirelessly to create an environment that fostered student success for students of all ages.”…

Following Bilkszto’s death, KOJO Institute provided a written statement offering condolences to Bilkszto’s loved ones. The statement also said that any interaction with individual employees during the sessions was “brief” and that they had “no involvement” in any investigation by the school board or the WSIB following the sessions.

I know nothing about Canadian law but I do wonder if his surviving family can sue in connection with his death. If nothing else, you would hope that some of the other groups who’ve been pouring money into KOJO training sessions might have second thoughts after this incident. I also wonder if other diversity trainers will hear about this and be a little bit less eager to single people out as examples of white supremacy. What would Robin DiAngelo, the author of White Fragility, say about this?

Of course something as drastic as suicide may not be attributable to one incident. There may be more to this story that we don’t know and will likely never know. But it does seem that Bilkszto and his attorney believe this was a factor in his death. And given that the attorney’s statement was pre-approved by the family, it’s reasonable to conclude they see it that way also.