Pastor John K. Amanchukwu Sr. was removed by police during a school board meeting in North Carolina for daring to read a passage from a book available to students at Lake Norman High School.
Pastor Amanchukwu spoke before the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education meeting on October 12, 2026, and began reading excerpts from the novel *Push* by Sapphire, aka Ramona Lofton.
The novel contains explicit depictions of incest, rape, physical and emotional abuse, and related trauma.
Before he even began reading, Board Chair Dr. Doug Knight told him if he was going to “read nasty words” it would not be allowed.
The same “nasty words” that students have free access to can not be read into the record at a board meeting
Pastor Amanchukwu continued to push back, supported by at least one board member, that the Chair was violating his First Amendment rights.
As he began reading some of the explicit passages and reminding the room that the book is freely available to students, Knight told the Pastor he was out of order and police approached Amanchukwu and removed him from the meeting.
Amanchukwu shared the interaction on social media and announced, “A LAWSUIT IS COMING!!!”
“The Iredell-Statesville School District has a BIG problem.”
“I was censored by the board chair for reading from Push by Ramona Lofton. Then POLICE were brought in to intimidate me and force me away from the podium.”
“Let me get this straight: THE BOOK STAYS. THE PREACHER GETS SILENCED.”
“An allegedly inappropriate book remains in Lake Norman High School, but a preacher exercising his right to speak gets shut down?”
Watch:
🚨 A LAWSUIT IS COMING!!!
The Iredell-Statesville School District has a BIG problem.
I was censored by the board chair for reading from Push by Ramona Lofton. Then POLICE were brought in to intimidate me and force me away from the podium.
Let me get this straight: THE BOOK STAYS. THE PREACHER GETS SILENCED.
An allegedly inappropriate book remains in Lake Norman High School, but a preacher exercising his right to speak gets shut down?
— John K. Amanchukwu Sr. (@REVWUTRUTH) October 13, 2026
