If you missed it live, I joined education advocate and host Leonie Haimson on WBAI’s “Talk Out of School” to sound the alarm on a growing threat to American education. This wasn’t your average policy chat—it was a serious conversation about how Donald Trump and his political allies are dragging education into a new Dark Age, dismantling the very pillars of academic freedom, civil rights, and truth itself.

🎧 Catch the full interview here:
Listen now on WBAI.org »

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DEI Under Attack: The First Sign of Authoritarian Overreach

On the show, we unpacked how diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs have become a prime target in the right-wing campaign to rewrite American education. But make no mistake—this isn’t just about DEI.

It’s about erasing history. It’s about banning books. It’s about labeling teachers who speak truth as threats. And it’s about undermining multiracial democracy by policing the narratives young people are allowed to learn.

In state after state—and now at the federal level—we’re seeing:

• Entire DEI offices shut down.
• Faculty and student protests criminalized.
• Curricula whitewashed and censored.
• Institutions threatened with loss of billions in federal funding.

This isn’t just a policy shift—it’s a political purge.

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When Free Thought Becomes the Enemy

What makes this moment so dangerous is how freedom itself is being reframed. The freedom to think, to question, to dissent—these are now under siege. On the show, Leonie and I discussed how authoritarian regimes throughout history have always gone after education first.

Why? Because controlling the classroom means controlling the future.

Trump and his allies understand this. That’s why we’re seeing unprecedented efforts to:

• Censor ethnic studies and LGBTQ+ history.
• Dismantle civil rights enforcement in the U.S. Department of Education.
• Intimidate universities with audits, funding threats, and legislation designed to force ideological conformity.

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The Stakes Are Sky-High

We also talked about the billions in funding now being held hostage by this political campaign. Federal dollars that support Title VI, Title IX, student aid, special education, and civil rights enforcement are all on the chopping block.

This is not about fiscal policy—it’s about punishing institutions that don’t fall in line. Columbia, Harvard, Penn, and dozens of others have faced threats to their research grants and student aid over campus speech and protest. The message is clear: Obey or be defunded.

This is the new authoritarian playbook.

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Resistance Is Rising

But here’s the good news: Educators, students, and communities aren’t backing down.

At every level, we’re seeing a new generation of leaders and everyday people pushing back—demanding truth, equity, and freedom in our public schools and universities. As I said on air, we can’t afford to stay silent. This is a time for clarity, courage, and collective action.

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Listen and Share

If you missed the live broadcast, you can still catch our conversation:

🎧 Listen to “Talk Out of School” with Leonie Haimson and Julian Vasquez Heilig
👉 Click here to tune in

Then share it. With your friends. With your students. With your colleagues.
Because this is about more than policy. It’s about the soul of American education.

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We Must Not Look Away

Education is supposed to be the great equalizer. But if Trump and his allies succeed, it will become the great enforcer of silence, obedience, and whitewashed history. That’s not education. That’s indoctrination.

We still have a choice.
We can speak.
We can teach.
We can organize.

We can stop the overreach—but only if we face it head-on.

Please share. Let’s make sure this conversation continues, far beyond the radio waves.