Author: Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig
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A faculty member recently shared a troubling story that highlights the growing assault on academic freedom in higher education. She recounted how a dean at a Southeastern Conference (SEC) College of Education called her into his office and told her she was “teaching too much diversity” in her teacher education course. This chilling directive—an overt…
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I recently joined the Left of Lansing podcast to break down the escalating political war on education (Link at the end of the post) Billionaires Elon Musk and Donald Trump have both called for the elimination of DEI initiatives, threatening to cut federal funding for universities and school districts that refuse to comply. Their attack on education is not only problematic—it is unconstitutional. These programs…
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The effort to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education is not just a policy debate—it is an existential threat to education access, research, and economic mobility in the United States. As I discussed during the Texas AFT Virtual Town Hall, the ramifications would be massive, impacting everything from university research and financial aid to K-12 funding and school operations. The Department…
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It was an honor to serve as the Dean of the University of Kentucky College of Education for almost four years. During my time in the Commonwealth, I also had the privilege of serving as the Education Chair and on the Executive Committee of the Kentucky NAACP. Additionally, I was appointed by Governor Andy Beshear to the Kentucky…
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As I discussed on Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman, Donald Trump has made it clear that he will continue adding contingencies to federal funding as a tool for controlling universities, just as authoritarian regimes have done throughout history. He started with DEI, branding it as a political target. Now, his demands have escalated—he is calling for an outright ban…
Cloaking Inequity 