Durham Teachers Union President Apologizes for Disrespect

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In the past few days, several people expressed offense after Mika Twietmeyer, president of the Durham Association of Educators, called the Durham Public Schools superintendent, Dr. Anthony Lewis, by his first name at the end of a Meet-and-Confer meeting.

The meeting had been streamed on YouTube for public view. Twietmeyer is white. Dr. Lewis is Black.

DPS Board of Education members Millicent Rogers, Bettina Umstead, and Natalie Beyer posted their concerns on Facebook.

“Calling the Black superintendent by his first name in a professional setting is inappropriate. It is unprofessional. And yes, it is a form of bullying,” wrote Rogers in a Facebook post. “Titles matter. They reflect earned leadership, expertise, and the authority of the office. Stripping that away so casually was not accidental – it was intended to diminish the person, the Black man, the educator, and his position.”

In another post, Umstead, the board chair, stated: “This was an intentional gesture to diminish his hard work, persistence, and position within our district. A tactic used as a way to wield power over and diminish a Black man’s accomplishments while laughing in the background. It’s unacceptable. Language matters, titles matter, and truth matters. Black people have fought to be called by our names and adding our hard-earned honorifics is a sign of respect. This microaggression is recorded, imagine the ones that we don’t see.”

In an email to Twietmeyer, Beyer wrote: “Dr. Lewis has earned his Ph.D. and our board honors his credentials, his expertise, his leadership, and we always refer to him as ‘Dr. Lewis,’ even in stressful times. He is Durham’s superintendent and leads with integrity. There is no place for microaggression in the equity-centered practices we aspire to nurture.”

Mike Lee, chair of the Durham County Board of Commissioners, took issue with it too:

“A first name alone might seem insignificant to some. But in a formal public, professional setting, especially during negotiations, titles matter. They signal respect for the role, responsibility, and institution. The superintendent of Durham Public Schools is Dr. Lewis. That title was earned. It represents years of study, leadership, and service.

“As someone who served eight years on the Board of Education, including four as chair, I have participated in many difficult, high-temperature conversations. I understand disagreement. I understand advocacy. I understand passion.

“What I do not accept is the erosion of professional norms that uphold the institution’s integrity.”

Carl Kenney, longtime Durham columnist and managing editor at The Durham Voice, shared his viewpoint too:

“In the context of Durham Public Schools, titles are not ornamental – they are institutional markers of authority, role clarity, and earned expertise. When the superintendent of Durham Public Schools, Anthony Lewis, is publicly addressed by his first name by the president of the Durham Association of Educators, particularly in the moment he exercises his authority to call a meeting to a close, the act cannot be dismissed as casual familiarity. It operates as a symbolic power move.”

The DAE president even got a public smackdown from the Durham Committee on the Affairs of Black People. In a statement from the committee, Twietmeyer’s address of the superintendent was described as “rude, demeaning, condescending, disrespectful, inappropriate, and unprofessional in tone and substance.”

That letter, from Committee Chairman Floyd B. McKissick Jr., also was signed by Mayor Leonardo Williams, Commission Chairman Lee, Commission members Stephen Valentine and Michelle Burton, former Commission chair Brenda Howerton, Board of Education Chair Umstead and board member Wendell Tabb, and Dr. B. Angeloe Burch Sr., president of Durham’s NAACP branch.

So far, the man in the middle of this tempest has yet to indicate he was personally offended by the incident. All Dr. Lewis has said, by way of a statement provided to Southpoint Access on Monday, is this:

“Meet and Confer was established to allow for collaboration among DPS administration and staff. The shared goal is to ensure a high-quality, equitable education for students, while fostering strong staff morale through open dialogue and cooperative problem-solving.

“There’s never enough time to address these passionate issues, which is why established meeting norms – including meeting length – were developed. President Mika Twietmeyer and I also meet periodically to discuss a variety of agenda topics.

“These are complex issues for Durham Public Schools as well as other school districts across the nation, and we have been committed to the conversations despite the challenges they present.”

Perhaps it’s simply a sign of grace on his part that he’s not speaking out about the situation. If Dr. Lewis says anything more on the topic, DPS officials say, it may come during Thursday’s Board of Education meeting.

Even if he’s not openly offended that the DAE president called him by his first name rather than using the title, it obviously struck a nerve for those who rallied to the defense of Dr. Lewis, and it was worth acknowledging by Twietmeyer. On Monday, Twietmeyer issued an apology on social media.

“At the very end of last Thursday’s seventh and final Meet and Confer negotiation session of the school year, I addressed Dr. Lewis by his first name,” the statement reads. “I am truly sorry. I recognize the harmful racial dynamics that my actions brought into play. As a white person, addressing a Black person in this unprofessional way caused harm, and I take responsibility.

“In our union, we believe in repairing harm when it is caused. I reached out to Dr. Lewis on Friday evening to personally apologize for my disrespect and to commit to using appropriate titles moving forward, and hope to connect this week. I am aware of the ways in which this moment upset members of our community, and I apologize to everyone who was hurt by my actions.”

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