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| AI image by A. Valenzuela |
The House Public Education Committee abruptly ended yesterday morning’s hearing on SB 12, silencing over 75 community members who came prepared to testify against the bill. This blatant disregard for public input highlights the anti-democratic nature of both the legislature and actual legislation—like Senate Bill 12—that seeks to erase discussions of race, gender, and identity from Texas classrooms. Here is my testimony on behalf of Texas LULAC, as well as K-12 public youth in the state of Texas.
Here is an image I created that reflects not only a vision for civil rights, but what is actually happening, my friends.
As a longtime policy analyst and advocate at the Texas legislature, I can authoritatively say that our youth are mobilizing and making their voices heard in unprecedented numbers in the Texas State Legislature. Of course, an immense amount of work has gone into this over the years—and must more work lays ahead.
It's still sad and tragic that so many youth from around the state arrived and were present in the hearing by 8AM, but whose voices were rejected by their state leaders. Trust me, our youth are not deterred....
I respectfully submit my testimony below.
-Angela Valenzuela
LULAC Rebukes Senator Creighton’s Assault on Inclusive Education
by
Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.
May 13, 2025
My name is Angela Valenzuela, and I am a faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin. However, I am speaking today as the Education Committee Chair for Texas LULAC, the largest and oldest Latina/o civil rights organization in the state of Texas.
Eying Section 3 of Senate Bill 12, Texas LULAC strongly condemns Senator Brandon Creighton’s continued crusade against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in Texas public education.
Having already led the charge in 2023 to eliminate DEI offices layered over Senator Bryan Hughes’ campaign to eliminate Critical Race Theory, Sen. Creighton now sets his sights on dismantling curriculum rooted in Black, Latina/o, Women and Gender Studies. These are programs that equip our students with critical thinking, cultural competency, and a deeper understanding of our shared history.
Let’s be honest about what this bill really does. It doesn’t just target a bureaucratic framework and set of norms and values that have evolved over decades—it targets a vision. A vision of schools where students of all backgrounds feel seen, respected, and safe. A vision of public education that refuses to ignore history, deny identity, or reduce our children to data points. And a vision of a Texas that embraces—not erases—its cultural and racial diversity.
This bill tells our districts they cannot assign anyone to engage in DEI work—not even if their goal is to close achievement gaps or root out discrimination. It threatens educators with discipline or termination for even referencing race, gender identity, or sexual orientation in programs or trainings. It silences those who dare to say that equity matters and that representation is essential.
And yet, it hides behind exceptions—narrow, patronizing carveouts that allow districts to talk superficially about holidays or collect data, as if that alone constitutes equity.
Let’s be clear: compliance is not justice. Neutrality is not inclusion. And silence is not safety.
This is not about educational quality or workforce preparedness; it is a thinly veiled effort to whitewash curricula and erase the lived experiences of marginalized communities. When students and recent graduates have testified passionately in this very chamber in defense of these courses, their message was clear: These courses are rigorous, empowering, and essential for an informed democracy.
Texas LULAC rejects the false narrative that DEI divides. On the contrary, it builds bridges, fosters understanding, and prepares our youth to lead with empathy and purpose. We call on all Texans to stand against this coordinated attack on knowledge, culture, and inclusion—an effort rooted in fear and distortion, turning education into a battleground and truth into a target. And why such animus, especially against our state's children and youth, as well as our schools?
Ethnic and interdisciplinary studies are not a threat—they are vital to a just and informed future.
