Office of the Olympia School District on Bethel Street.
Rolf Boone
The Olympia School District board of directors has appointed divisive celebrity Talauna Reed to fill the October 13 school board vacancy.
Reid is running for Olympia City Council in 2021 Widely noticed in July 2021 At the event, she said, “F*** the police,” Olympia residents should “break everything in this fxxx city” until people pay attention to them.
Reed lost to Lisa Purshley in the November 2, 2021 general election. During her election, she belonged to an organization called Olympia, which emerged for racial justice, and another called Black Leaders of Action and Solidarity Thurston. Leads are often described as community organizers and activists.
In 2020, the Olympia YWCA named her its 2020 Womnx of Achievement, announcing that “her central focus is anti-racism.” In news of her appointment, the OSD said Reed is now the lead her outreach and advocacy her navigator for local nonprofit Interfaith Works.
Along with student representatives, the school board is made up of five board members who are voted on for four-year terms. The vacancy Reed filled was previously held by former Board Vice-President Justin McCohan, who submitted his resignation at the June 9 board meeting. Darcy Huffman, representing District 3, replaced McCohan as vice president.
Reed will be sworn into office at the next Board meeting on October 27 and will serve as Director of District 2.
Board candidates who fill vacancies between elections do not have to vote, but instead undergo a series of interviews with the school board.
The Olympia School District board announced in the final minutes of its October 13 regular board meeting that after two interviews and a performance task, the lead had been appointed to fill the position McCogan had vacated. They said they were “looking forward” to working with her on her work.
Olympian has reached out to Reed, Olympia School Board President Maria Flores, and Huffman Vice President multiple times for comment on the special appointment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
At the same event Reid encouraged attendees to “tear it all down” in 2021, she also referenced the deaths of Breonna Taylor and Yvonne Macdonald, saying “both black women were murdered by police.” Stated.
Taylor was shot dead by police while raiding an apartment in Kentucky in March 2020. No officers were charged with the shooting, but four current and former officers were charged with civil rights violations, and one former police detective pleaded guilty to one count of complicity.
McDonald, Reid’s aunt, died in August 2018 after being found shirtless, pants and underwear down in front of the lawn of an abandoned house. Her coroner’s report said her cause of death was blunt force trauma to her abdomen, and complications from alcohol also contributed to her death.
Earlier reports from Olympian said the manner of her death was left unclear, but police say they found no evidence of a crime. I determined that I had not been hit by a car.
“I think they[the police]know something,” Reed said shortly after McDonald’s died during a march through downtown Olympia. I am protecting you.”
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on October 20th with additional information regarding Talauna Reed’s background and professional affiliation.
This story was originally published October 19, 2022 at 10:22 AM.
Support my work with a digital subscription
