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Teacher and spoken word poet Leron McAdoo is accused of sexual assault


Leron McAdooan educator, activist and prominent figure in the central Arkansas arts scene, has been charged with sexual assault. An allegation first surfaced on social media on Tuesday, October 1st.

McAdoo was named Little Rock's first poet laureate in 2023 and is a teacher at Dr. Marian G. Lacey K-8 Academy, where he is currently on paid leave pending an investigation by the Little Rock School District, according to LRSD spokespersons Pamela Smith told that Arkansas Times.

The allegations first came to light Just through a social media post on Tuesday by Rari Wrighta 21-year-old model from Little Rock.

In her post, Wright said she was sexually assaulted by McAdoo on August 7 while posing for a nude photo shoot. Wright said she and McAdoo were the only people present at the House of Art (108 E. 4th St.), an art gallery and spoken poetry venue in North Little Rock. McAdoo nonconsensually “put his fingers in me and his mouth on me,” Wright said in an Instagram post.

Wright filed a report with the North Little Rock Police Department on August 14, which contains similar details. In the report, Officer Jacob House wrote that Wright told him that McAdoo “involuntarily gave her oral sex and digitally penetrated her.” She further informed me that he contacted her by phone and admitted that what he had done was wrong.” Community journalist Russ Racop obtained a copy of the police report, which you can read here.

Wright's public statement on Instagram can be found in full below:

On Tuesday, an email from the principal of Lacey Academy Don Porter reached out to parents of students there and explained that “today we were made aware of a social media post involving a serious allegation of inappropriate behavior by a staff member.” The email continued: “ Our initial investigation indicates that the allegation was made by an adult and did not involve Lacey students or staff, nor did it occur on school property. “…As this is a personnel matter, we are unable to comment further.”

The Just has reached out to McAdoo for comment but has not yet heard back from him.

Leron McAdoo (file photo) Credit: Ebony Blevins

In response to the allegations, some local groups have already made efforts to distance themselves from McAdoo. On Wednesday, social justice was enthusiastic 7th Street Mural Project posted on their Facebook page that they have “decided collectively as a group to remove LeRon Mcadoo from the 7th Street Murals in support of the victims of sexual assault who shared their experiences with him during photo shoots at the House of Art.” “”

McAdoo was included in the mural series in 2020 after artist Nicole Stewart heard a speech he gave during the Black Lives Matter protests. “I wanted to paint Leron because he's involved in the movement, he's involved in the protests and the activism and he gave this incredible speech and I wanted to hang him on the wall because he's a big part of it, which everyone gets to “He's extremely expressive and I think a lot of people should know more about him,” Stewart said in a December 2020 Pine Bluff Commercial story.

As shown in the photos below, McAdoo's likeness has been painted over and artists from the 7th Street Mural Project are working on a plan to replace it with new art. “The purpose of the murals is to promote justice and peace within the community among all, and we have zero tolerance for this type of behavior,” their Facebook note continued.

Additionally, Enter my office – an open mic series founded by Leron's late son Norel McAdoo, who died in a car accident in January, and is now run by Leron's daughter, Jamee McAdoo – announced it would no longer hold its monthly meetings at the House of Art due to the allegations. “For us, Step Into My Office means entering a SAFE art space full of love and respect,” Jamee McAdoo wrote on Instagram. “The SIMO team will not tolerate anything less and will not tolerate anyone in our spaces who does not agree with our values.”

Leron McAdoo has long been a trusted, vocal and celebrated member of the Little Rock community. He has taught in the Little Rock Public School District for nearly three decades. Before coming to Lacey Academy, he worked at Dunbar Magnet Middle School, Henderson Middle School, Southwest Middle School, Cloverdale Middle School, Hamilton Learning Academy, Booker T. Washington Elementary School and Central High School.

In June 2020, the Arkansas Nonprofit News Network – on Arkansas Times Affiliate – published a profile of McAdoo and eight other local activists highlighting their organizing efforts following the killing of George Floyd.

“As he addressed a crowd on the Capitol steps on Sunday, June 7, LeRon McAdoo demonstrated the skills he has developed over the past 30 years as a hip-hop MC and radio host, as an educator, and as an activist and community organizer developed. As he urged protesters not to hit “snooze” again following America's recent nationwide outrage over police brutality against black men, the crowd was full of high school and college-aged youths basking in the blazing 90-degree sun Wearing cloth masks, “raised their voices to loudly affirm that black lives do indeed matter,” Frederick McKindra wrote at the time.

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