The District 202 Board of Education appointed Mirah Anti to fill the opening on the school board on June 21. 

The vacancy on the school board opened up when former board member Jude Laude decided not to run for reelection in 2021. Anti was chosen over seven other candidates.

“I can say that there were highly qualified applicants. And therefore, the decision we made was difficult. Mirah is highly qualified, and I, as well as my colleagues, look forward to serving our community with Mirah in this capacity,” Board President Pat Savage-Williams said in a statement to the Evanston Roundtable. 

Anti’s 27-year teaching career began in 1994 when she started as a social studies teacher for Highland Park and Deerfield School District 113. Throughout her career, Anti served in many administrative capacities outside the classroom, including as Director of Equity and Inclusion and Diversity Coordinator in District 113.

In those positions, Anti focused heavily on assisting teachers and administrators in expanding their knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion in school settings. 

“I did a lot of staff training. [I questioned] how we broaden our understanding of what equity is and how to be more inclusive and always keeping race front and center, also thinking about what are our policies, it’s not just practice,” Anti said in an interview with The Evanstonian when speaking about her administrative experience in North Shore schools. 

Anti’s many years of teaching in addition to years of experience with equity and inclusion work ensures she brings a powerful and important perspective to the D202 school board. 

“My work is my identity,” Anti explained. “It’s just a natural thing. I would look around the table and [wonder], did everyone get a chance to speak if they wanted to?…. If I’m thinking about equity, did this person get to say more on that topic, and why?”