Back-to-school season is often a time of celebration — fresh notebooks, sharpened pencils, and the promise of new beginnings. But this year feels different. Instead of quiet optimism, it feels like sirens are blaring.

In our recent  Power Hour — Back to School Special: Ringing the 3-Alarm Fire Bells for Education aire — we dug into the urgent challenges facing schools and communities. Below are just some of the topics we covered. I invite you to read these overviews, and then check out the full conversation.

The Long Arc of Suppression

We traced how the suppression of literacy stretches back to 1829 — not simply about reading books, but about controlling freedom and resistance. Are today’s attacks on curriculum the latest attempt to erase history in order to control the future?

Project 2027 vs. Project 2025

We discussed how “Project 2025” reflects a regressive vision — and why we need a bold alternative: “Project 2027.” Rooted in justice, this includes NAACP-resolution inspired equity audits to expose disparities across and within districts. Housing patterns still determine school quality — and that is no accident. It’s American’s elephant in the room.

Organized and Awake

We pushed back on a tired claim that the Black community is “not organized.” History proves otherwise. And today, the rising generation is the most “woke” yet, young people who see inequities clearly, name them, and refuse to let them remain cloaked.

Local Control: Democracy or Hegemony?

Local control can be a democratizing force, but it can also reinforce inequality. The difference depends on who holds power and whose voices are heard. We asked: how do communities ensure their leaders are prepared for this moment?

This Moment in History

Attacks on education are happening because education works, because it produces young people who resist and demand better for their nation. Even small acts matter. As I shared during the show, my Chinese fortune cookie told me last week: “You will make change for the better.” Each of us has that power.

Answering the Bell

The fire bells are ringing. Not one, but three. They call us to defend communities, organize our neighbors, and lead with courage. Back-to-school is no longer routine; it is a decision point about the kind of future we want to fight for.

👉 Watch the full WNNH Power Hour here: Back to School Special: Ringing the 3-Alarm Fire Bells for Education

---

Julian Vasquez Heilig is a nationally recognized policy scholar, public intellectual, and civil rights advocate. A trusted voice in public policy, he has testified for state legislatures, the U.S. Congress, the United Nations, and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, while also advising presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. His work has been cited by major outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times, and he has appeared on networks from MSNBC and PBS to NPR and DemocracyNow!. He is a recipient of more than 30 honors, including the 2025 NAACP Keeper of the Flame Award, Vasquez Heilig brings both scholarly rigor and grassroots commitment to the fight for equity and justice.