A scandal-hit diversity, justice and inclusion advisor has accused a Vermont mayor of white supremacy after an official report revealed she overspent $192,000 planning a June 19 celebration.
Tyeastia Green was the first person appointed by the City of Burlington to lead a newly created Office of Racial Justice, Inclusion and Belonging in April 2020.
She left in March 2022 to return to work in Minneapolis, where she was from, but after less than a year due to questions about her financial management.
Upon learning of the Minneapolis debacle, Burlington began investigating Green’s work in the city of Vermont and found similar financial irregularities.
Green claimed she was exonerated Thursday because there was no evidence she committed any crimes. But the tremendous waste of projects she oversaw was condemned — leading her to go on the offensive and call Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger a white supremacist.
“White supremacy doesn’t mean you have a hood and a robe in your closet,” she told WCAX News.
“That’s not what it means. This means you will do everything you can to ensure that the whiteness is the standard.
“And that’s exactly what Miro does.’ He makes sure whiteness is the standard, look at his leadership team.’
Tyeastia Green served as Director of the newly created Burlington office for Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging from April 2020 to March 2022. On Thursday, she reacted angrily to allegations of financial negligence
Green called Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger a white supremacist
The mayor’s spokesman said Green did not respond to questions about her financial dealings.
“Tyeastia is once again responding to public concerns about her professional work by making personal allegations against others,” the mayor’s office told WCAX.
“Following the events in Minneapolis, it would have been a professional offense not for Burlington to commission this report.”
The Burlington Mayor’s report addressed funding for a Juneteenth celebration in 2022 that Green had planned and which took place shortly after Green’s departure.
They found that Green was not following city policy, which required city officials to use the best value vendors for events.
Instead, they found Green opted for more expensive vendors, costing the city an additional $132,000.
The city also accused her of a lack of communication about budgets and fundraising.
Green has been accused of failing to communicate on budgets and fundraising for the June 19, 2022 celebrations
A report from Burlington City Hall found that she had overspent on salespeople
Green has been accused of being careless with festival expenses, but cautioned that there was no fraud or embezzlement
Green told WCAX that her office had nothing to do with event planning and contracts for Juneteenth, and said the city’s report cleared her of all allegations of fraud or embezzlement.
Green claimed the only reason the event was reviewed was because it was organized by black people and in honor of those people.
Vermont is 93.8 percent White; only Maine has a higher percentage of whites.
The city said Green could face a significant fine if she continued to work there.
“If they were still city employees, we would now consider serious sanctions against them,” the spokesman said.
During Green’s tenure at Minneapolis City Hall, from March 2022 to March 2023, there were allegations that she asked to attend a taxpayer-funded leadership retreat and oversaw spending nearly $500,000 on a disappointing Black Expo event.
Green is pictured in March 2022 returning to her hometown of Minneapolis to work at City Hall
Green wanted to go to the See Change event in Burlington, Vermont, which features activities like snowkiting and yoga.
A series of talks were also offered, including titles “Let go of climate guilt” and “Demystifying climate justice”.
Green claimed $2,433.21 for event registration, flight and a travel agency fee.
The city denied the request.
Green was also criticized for organizing the first business fair, “I am Ancestors Wildest Dreams,” in Minneapolis in February 2023.
A local business owner told local media she was promised 20,000 people were expected, but only a few hundred turned up.
Green defended the spending, saying it was on budget.
Green accused her former colleagues in both Minneapolis and Vermont of racism.
She said Minneapolis City Hall has a “toxic work culture” and claimed she was forced to work in an office where she could hear nearby prison inmates crying through the walls.
She also accused several senior black officials — including President Andrea Jenkins and member LaTrisha Vetaw — of being “anti-black.” Jenkins replied that she was “not against black people, I am against incompetence.”