Auon’tai Anderson announced on Tuesday that he will not seek a spot in the Colorado House of Representatives and will instead head up an education nonprofit dedicated to improving outcomes for Black students.
Anderson, a Democratic former Denver Public Schools board director, cited the multiple other Black candidates seeking to replace term-limited Democratic Rep. Leslie Herod in House District 8 as a reason for his departure from the race. Campaign scenarios with multiple Black candidates, he wrote, can lead to the division of votes and loss of that historically Black seat.
“This decision transcends my personal aspirations and reflects my commitment to the community and maintaining Black representation in our legislature,” he wrote in a Medium post explaining the move.
Anderson’s new nonprofit is called The Center for Advancing Black Excellence in Education. Among other work, the organization will coach potential school board candidates who have a “liberatory mindset” and who will work to “center Black excellence” in education.
Additionally, the organization will work with schools and school boards to develop policies similar to the Know Justice, Know Peace resolution that the Denver School Board passed in 2020, which mandated a curriculum more inclusive of Black, indigenous and Latino history.
“Our mission is grounded in the conviction that access to high-quality education is not just a right, but the foundation of thriving and resilient communities. We commit ourselves to disrupting the systems that cause educational disparities faced by Black students,” Anderson wrote.
Anderson, a Democrat, was elected to the Denver School Board in 2019, becoming the youngest Black elected official in Colorado. In 2021, the board censured him for flirtatious social media messages to a minor, though an investigation found that sexual assault allegations were unsubstantiated.
He chose to run in the open District 8 Democratic primary instead of seeking reelection to the school board last year.
The remaining Democratic primary candidates for the seat include Kwon Avon Atlas and Sharron Pettiford, who are Black, and Victor Bencomo, Lindsay Gilchrist and Christi Devoe. Gilchrist is leading fundraising efforts with over $50,000 in contributions.
The Denver district spans north of Colfax Avenue to Interstate 70. It is one of the safest Democratic seats in the state.
Anderson will serve as the CEO of the new nonprofit. Its three board members are MiDian Holmes, the CEO of The Epitome of Black Excellence and Partnership; state Rep. Regina English, a Colorado Springs Democrat; and DPS school board member Michelle Quattlebaum.
A disclaimer on the website’s donation page says the organization is in the process of getting a 501(c)(3) designation, which would allow tax-deductible contributions and require more financial transparency.
This story first appeared at Colorado Newsline. Colorado Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a national nonprofit news organization. Colorado Newsline is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, independent source of online news.