Though Donald Trump has sought to eradicate it from government, business, and education, DEI continues to haunt him. Judges have resisted his efforts to end DEI initiatives and policies, and basic principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion remain stubbornly rooted, after decades of struggle for a multiracial democracy, in American cultural soil.
Browsing: Opinions
Sixteen years after the fateful day the United Nations (UN) charter was promulgated in San Francisco, President John F. Kennedy memorably intoned on a return to that city that the UN “remains mankind’s best hope to conquer war, poverty, and disease.” Across subsequent decades this aspiration has been shared by US presidents from Ronald Reagan, who believed that the UN could help “bring about a new day,” to George H.W. Bush, who recognized the UN system as “poised to historic vision of its founders—a world in which nations recognize the shared responsibility for freedom and justice.”
Freedom of speech is kind of like eggs nowadays – too expensive! For Columbia University, the cost imposed on it by the Trump administration was suddenly $400 million in rescinded federal funding, at least if the speech was pro-Palestinian and critical of Israel.
As a person who consumes large amounts of information about peace and conflict in the world, I spend a considerable amount of time talking with people about how the governance of their communities is working. I talk with educators about what they are teaching and how they are teaching it. I speak with strangers while sitting in waiting rooms or on airline flights.
Life, liberty, and free will are sacred gifts to humankind, while morality and freedom are humanity’s greatest contributions. Yet, regardless of wealth or status, all must face life’s equalizers: liberty, tribulations, and death.
The threat is real, particularly under the grip of powerful figures like Elon Musk and Donald Trump—individuals whose troubling histories and ideologies seem poised to further marginalize people of color. It is difficult to think that Musk and Trump see Black Americans as their equals worthy of sharing basic human space.
Lost amidst the firehose of lies uttered by Donald Trump at his address before Congress March 4, was a New Mexico Democratic congresswoman’s succinct description of the crisis facing the United States: Rep. Melanie Stansbury held a small sign that said, “This Is Not Normal” as Mr. Trump greeted lawmakers upon entering the chamber. That Texas Republican Rep. Lance Gooden ripped the sign from Ms. Stansbury’s hands was not surprising. What is remarkable was that more Democrats didn’t highlight Rep. Stansbury’s message.
School Board Partners’ (SBP) latest paper, Fulfilling Promises: What America’s School Boards Actually Need to Succeed identifies three core challenges that hinder the effectiveness of school boards nationwide: a lack of representation, a lack of role clarity, and a lack of training and resources. To address these obstacles, we need to ensure school boards are more representative of the students they serve, provide clear guidance on the responsibilities of board members, and dignify the role of board members through professional development and effective governance resources.
As a child of Holocaust survivors, the president’s public displays of callousness chill me. His proud, unapologetic heartlessness reminds me how humans are capable of unspeakable brutality. Yale University psychology professor Paul Bloom describes cruelty as even worse than dehumanization. Dehumanization is what enables soldiers to enter into battle and kill without moral paralysis. By contrast, Bloom writes, “cruelty is when you act fully aware of the humanity of the persons you are mistreating or humiliating. In fact, that’s the whole point.”
The Destructiveness of “America First” Begins at Home