#Justice4Bonnie

On a tepid and overcast Monday morning, January 8, 2024, many woke up to a chilling and

startling email in their inbox from Dr. Antoinette “Bonnie” Candia-Bailey to the president of

Lincoln University, John Moseley. It was a manifesto of sorts detailing a list of

microaggressions, blatant aggressions, & corruption at Lincoln University: the main

perpetrator, the aforementioned Moseley, & the latest casualty, Dr. Candia-Bailey. As many

read her email, she drove to a remote area in Illinois, put a gun to her head, & shot herself.

Dr. Candia-Bailey detailed her excitement about being hired as Vice President of Student

Affairs at Lincoln, her alma mater. It was a dream come true, but with it came an ominous

warning, don’t ever mention having a desire to become a university president in the company

of John Moseley. Thus, she began her tenure downplaying her accomplishments & swallowing

any possible ambitions for her future she may have had for fear of being viewed as a threat to

her boss and becoming a victim of his retaliation.

Unfortunately, that was not enough to keep Dr. Candia-Bailey out of Moseley’s crosshairs. She

stated Moseley used her as a tool of his retaliation to fire people he no longer wanted at the

University. She claimed the minute she pushed back; she became a problem. Thus began a

campaign of gaslighting, unfounded complaints, & ostracism from Moseley and his cohorts

which led her into a deep depression & mental decline. When she tried to address the

situation with human resources and the board of Curators for Lincoln University, which was

designed to oversee the office of the president, she was ignored, brushed aside, & ridiculed.

The final result was her termination by Moseley. Her only recourse in her mind was to send this

email to Moseley & others to address the bullying she encountered, plead for change, & then

take her life to remove herself from the pain, sadness, and disillusionment she was living in.

The place where she began her bright & optimistic journey through adulthood ultimately

became her end.