Author: Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig
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In recent months, there’s been a noticeable shift in the political discourse coming from the American right, especially from Donald Trump and his allies. Their sudden emphasis on anti-Semitism as a singular, urgent civil rights crisis is not just curious—it’s strategic. From executive orders to emotionally charged speeches, conservatives have aggressively moved to center anti-Semitism…
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Just two days. That’s how long it took Donald Trump to break his promise to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). Two days after telling a national audience they had “nothing to worry about” under his administration, Trump proposed slashing tens of millions of dollars from the budget of one of the crown jewels of…
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As calls to defund PBS resurface in today’s political climate, it’s worth remembering a quiet, powerful moment in American history—Fred Rogers’ 1969 testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications. At a time when public broadcasting was facing funding cuts, Rogers stood alone to defend the soul of children’s television—and, by extension, the role of publicly funded…
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The recent removal of Dean Frances Contreras from her position as the first Latina dean of the UC Irvine School of Education has sparked a wave of concern across the higher education and civil rights communities. Her case appears to be more than a personnel decision based on current public information—it is a deeply troubling example of…
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There is a quiet crisis unfolding before us—a deliberate dumbing down of Americans. This erosion is not happening by accident. It is being engineered through a combination of political manipulation, digital disinformation, and technocratic shortcuts that devalue human intelligence, critical thinking, and democratic citizenship. Let’s be clear: this isn’t just an education issue—it’s a democracy issue.…
Cloaking Inequity 