Michelle Mbekeani-Wiley, the 25-year-old University of Chicago law school graduate and student advocate, has withdrawn from the race for one of three open seats on the Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 Board of Education in the upcoming April 7 election.
The candidate, an OPRF alumna who wanted to bring a voice to the board that is closer to the perspective of the present student body, has discovered that she and her husband, Sean Wiley, are expecting their first child.
“I have decided to withdraw from the District 200 School Board race. As an expecting mother, I have decided to direct my focus toward my growing family,” she said in a statement Thursday.
“As a member of the Community Relations Commission, I will continue to contribute to my community and high school. My husband and I look forward to raising our family here,” Mbekeani-Wiley said.
When asked whether or not she would throw her support behind any of the remaining candidates in the race, Mbekeani-Wiley said that she’s “a big fan” of attorney Jennifer Cassell and businessman Fred Arkin.
“Her having a child at OPRF speaks first hand” to the kind of perspective Cassell would bring to the board, Mbekeani-Wiley said, while also lauding Cassell’s potential ability to address issues such as the achievement gap between black and white students at the high school.
Mbekeani-Wiley said that she knew Arkin as a student and that “he’s done much for young boys and young boys of color” through his efforts with the high school’s wrestling program.
“He just doesn’t teach them wrestling, he teaches them life skills,” she said of Arkin, who is the freshman wrestling coach at OPRF.
