This petition demands that Texas Governor Greg Abbott immediately remove Joseph Colonnetta from the Board of Trustees of the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS).

Beyond his position with TRS and his professional career as an investor, Mr. Colonnetta sits on the Board of Directors of the Center for Security Policy (CSP), an extremist anti-Muslim “think tank” known to be a key promoter of Islamophobia in America. CSP sits at the center of a small but highly vocal and well-funded network of organizations whose mission is to stoke anti-Muslim sentiment under the guise of “legitimate” research and reporting.

Through his leadership role with CSP, Mr. Colonnetta bears responsibility for his organization’s fearmongering, including its radical conspiracy theories about jihadists infiltrating the US government. His work represents a threat to our democratic values, our Constitution, and our national security. He belongs nowhere near an important public institution that represents the interests of all Texas schoolteachers.

Ousting Mr. Colonnetta from his role with TRS will:

1. Hold him personally accountable for his association with a prominent hate group.
2. Deter other professionals from engaging with hate groups. If they choose to do so, they know they’ll be putting their personal reputation at risk.
3. Undermine the legitimacy that Islamophobic hate groups receive by associating with “credible” professionals. This will be critical to pushing hate groups out of the mainstream and back to the fringes of society.
4. Demonstrate Texas’ commitment to inclusiveness and respect for diversity in its public institutions.

Islamophobia’s unchecked influence has resulted in rising hate crimes and President Trump’s anti-Muslim immigration ban. If you care about these issues, please sign our petition to hold the people behind this movement accountable for their bigotry.