However you feel about Biden, read here Why Trump CANNOT Win the Presidency—READ "Project 2025," a "Blueprint for a soft coup": Inside the far-right plan that could grant unchecked power to Trump [Video & Transcript]

Friends,

WE CANNOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, LET TRUMP WIN. We must get the word out on this extremist "planned coup" laid out in Project 2025 in anticipation of a Trump presidency. 

It's being spearheaded by The Heritage Foundation and their large network of neoliberal and authoritarian populist supporters. It is over 900 pages long. Just keyword-search the words "abolish" and "eliminate" to get a sense of just how scorched earth their agenda is.

Do watch the whole video with Velshi on MSNBC (posted below). 

For ease, here is a partial transcript of Velshi's opening comments so that you can get a quick sense of the aims of this far-right leadership and their dystopian vision for the future of our country that we must vigorously oppose.

-Angela Valenzuela

TRANSCRIPT

Project 2025 ‘Blueprint for a soft coup’: Inside the far-right plan that could grant unchecked power to Trump

Velshi: If you have you been keeping up with our show, you're likely familiar with the radical plan of the far right to overhaul our government within the first 180 days of a new Republican administration, the plan known formally as Project 2025. It's spearheaded by the conservative think tank, the Heritage Foundation. 

The plan is more than 900 pages long and it's filled with far-right policy ideas for dozens of federal agencies. Project 2025's advisory board consists of nearly 100 groups representing various far-right interests, including Trump loyalists, anti-abortion activists, Christian nationalists, opponents of LGBTQ+ rights, and anti-environmentalists. 

The threat that Project 2025 poses to our democracy cannot be overstated.

At the top of the list or plans to consolidate presidential authority, fill the ranks of the Executive Branch with loyalists, dismantle civil rights, and weaken federal agencies that are responsible for a wide array of social services spanning from poverty and education to healthcare and environmental protection. 

It also advances a Christian nationalist agenda, aiming to replace secular education with a Christian curriculum by redirecting funding from the Department of Education which it refers to as a "woke education cartel"—those are their words—and redirecting the money to charter and private schools.

Probably the most troubling aspect of Project 2025 is its plan to grant Donald Trump unchecked power over the Executive Branch, potentially allowing him to weaponized it against his critics, including, including those in the media who he constantly says he's going to target anyway.

Project 2025 is ultimately a blueprint for a soft coup, one that replaces our age-old system of checks and balances with cronyism. What Trump couldn't achieve in his first term, Project 2025 seeks to facilitate by removing obstacles to his authority. This includes an active plan for purging the Executive Branch of any dissent by replacing longtime civil servants with those who pledge fealty to Trump.

The group's database of potential political appointees includes more than 4,000 vetted candidates who are, according to the document, ready and willing to begin "dismantling the administrative state from day one."

In an interview with the New York Times, Trump advisor Russell Vought put it plainly. "What we're trying to do is identify the pockets of independence and seize them."

Doesn't stop there by the way, Project 2025 calls for invoking the insurrection act which would allow presidents to deploy the country's military forces against American citizens who protest their actions, something that is illegal at the moment. 

Additionally, it claims to reverse recent LGBTQ+ civil rights protections, including same-sex marriage. It criminalizes transgender identity, equating it with "pornography." It would designate librarians who promote banned books as "sex offenders." 

It would define life as the beginning—life as beginning at the very moment of conception for the purposes of legal protection. 

These are just some of the things that the religious right plans to implement under Project 2025. And if this alarms you, it should. 

The greatest danger lies in underestimating and dismissing the gravity of this plan, especially because it's already underway. 

Just in March, tucked within a larger spending bill, Congress quietly approved a Project 2025 proposal to ban the LGBTQ+ rainbow flag from flying over U.S. embassies across the globe. 

As abortion, rights advocate, Jillian Kane aptly warns, "There's a line in Tolstoy's War and Peace that's useful for the moment we're in, "Nothing was prepared for the war that everyone expected."

Invitation: Educación con Corazón: Una Plática Comunitaria/ Education with Heart: A Community Conversation—May 4, 2024, 10am - 3pm

Friends,

It's such a vast juxtaposition to be sharing with you our upcoming event, "Education with Heart: A Community Conversation," taking place this Saturday, May 4, from 10AM-3PM while simultaneously witnessing state violence and repression at this very moment at UT Austin. This is playing out on college campuses nationwide, as well, as we know.

Like my grandfather, who was a Baptist minister, used to say, "El diablo anda afuera," meaning that "the devil is running amok." 

It sure feels like it. I hear students tell me that they are fearful, that they feel bruised, that they are angry, sad, and disgusted. And let's not let it get past us that this year's undergraduate graduating class sat out the pandemic four years earlier, seriously impacting life's milestones that the rest of us have taken for granted.

Atop this, our students here at UT are literally still coping with the shock of losing their programs, initiatives, mentors, and supporters as a consequence of Senate Bill 17 (Texas' anti-DEI bill), and now they are experiencing added violence, both symbolic and real. 

So much dark, noxious emotion in the air right now. People speak in whispers, censuring themselves. Are we not still in a democracy where we all have a voice and are guided by democratic principles?

Que triste. How sad, especially when there is still so much good—and good to be had—in the world. I remain confident that there still exists a real promise of better days WHEN we commit to supporting ALL of our youth, particularly the most vulnerable. Why can't we not evolve as human beings and as a culture into an ethic that centers, instead of intentionally harms, young people? They are our future, our treasure, our joy. 

Texas parents, I know that I speak on behalf of most, if not all, UT faculty that we love your children. What we are witnessing right now is way beyond the bounds of what should ever get considered as normal.

Ok, so now I'm putting out something into the atmosphere that is super positive, namely, Academia Cuauhtli's 10th Anniversary celebration! I've blogged on it occasionally since 2014. For those of us involved, it is a labor of love.🩷

Throughout the day, we will be speaking Spanish, English, Spanglish, and translanguaging, playing with language, celebrating bilingualism, and culture (see details below). 

As the late poet and artist José Antonio Burciaga used to say, "La cultura cura," meaning that "culture heals." I can definitely say that Academia Cuauhtli is what has sustained our community through the years.

 Open to the public. Welcome all!

-Angela Valenzuela

Follow us on Twitter: @AcadCuauhtli

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AcademiaCuauhtli/

Instagram: @acadcuauhtli

Event hashtags: #LaCulturaCura #Palabra #JovenNoble #CulturalHealing #EmpowerYouth #EmpoweringYouth #strongyouth

Hope you can join us this coming Saturday morning to be in community with us as we celebrate Educación con Corazón, our tenth-anniversary celebration of Academia Cuauhtli. It’s amazing just how quickly the time has flown. 

 

Bring your babies, children, and family members. Educators doing work in the community might be particularly interested in joining us and learning about our work. We’ll have bouncy houses for the chiildren, food, pláticas, musical performances, a raffle, and other goodies. We’re showing some love to the Dove Springs community.  It’s over at 3 PM.

Academia Cuauhtli means "Eagle Academy"

 

Info below, as well as attached on who we are as a community-based initiative. Do reach out to Dr. Maria Unda (copied) if you have any questions.  Please help us get the word out, too. 

 

-Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D.

***

 

Summit Title: Educación con Corazón: Una Plática Comunitaria/ Education with Heart: A Community Conversation

Date: Saturday, May 4, 2024 | Time: 10am - 3pm

Location: Consuelo Mendez Middle School, 5106 Village Square Drive Austin, TX 78744 (not the charter school part) 

 

About the Summit:
"Educación con Corazón: A Comm(unity) Conversation" is a summit convened by Academia Cuauhtli to champion equitable access to transformative education by integrating bilingual education, cultural arts institutions, and indigenous epistemologies into public schools. In celebration of Academia Cuauhtli’s ten-year journey, this public gathering expresses a profound commitment to cultural heritage, social justice consciousness, and collective identities for educational freedom.

Bringing together educators, students, parents, school board members, and community members, we are dedicated to fostering a collaborative environment where diverse voices come together to shape the future of education. Emphasizing cultural diversity, healing, and artistic expression, we strive to create holistic learning spaces that champion educational freedom. 

 

Event Links:

City Event Landing Page:

https://www.austintexas.gov/event/esb-macc-education-heart-community-celebration-mendez-middle-school

Facebook Event: https://fb.me/e/1ZcwBUEYD 

Eventbrite:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/education-with-heart-a-community-celebration-tickets-873709006157

 

 

Register on Eventbrite

Furthermore, in recognition of AISD's support, we warmly invite y'all to join us for an exclusive VIP breakfast before the summit at 9 am. This intimate gathering presents a unique opportunity for our esteemed attendees, including keynotes, education, and community leaders, to forge connections and delve deeper into potential collaborations. Noteworthy attendees include Superintendent Matias Segura, esteemed members of the AISD School Board, distinguished members of the City of Austin Council, and influential education policymakers. Their enthusiasm for engaging in substantive dialogue and sharing insights promises to enrich the summit experience for all participants. 

 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Dr. María Del Carmen Unda 

Cell: 310-651-4558 

https://linktr.ee/maricarmenphd 

Unraveling Education: Houston, we have a Problem! & his name is AJ Crabill [Storytime], Feb 21, 2024

Friends,

April has been a busy travel month. I'll soon post on what's happening right now with the protests at UT Austin. I've definitely kept up throughout.

In the meantime, this is a must-listen to podcast that's illuminating of how people in power are able to carry out their agenda even when the science doesn't back them up. 

For our friends from Houston that experienced the takeover of their district last year, this will definitely resonate. So terribly concerning.

-Angela Valenzuela 

“Welcome to Unraveling Education, the podcast that's part storytelling, part information and part

whodunit. We'll be investigating the underlying issues harming the public education system and identifying the key players involved. Welcome back to Unraveling Education.

I'm Danielle Ford, former trustee of CCSD, which includes Las Vegas, Nevada. In today's episode, we're going to begin with an update on the happenings in CCSD. We could call this part the Jara saga.

How many times would Jara actually have to be fired or resigned for it to constitute as a saga? It's four, right? Yeah, then I think we're there.

Then we will jump back to where we left off with the story time. I'll explain the snazzy conference, the board Jara and CCSD staff attended with other school boards across the country and some of the national vendors we were introduced to. That will also include the incredibly traumatic experience I had with some of the other board members, which I may still have some PTSD from.

And then the really scary epiphany that was had at yet another conference that the board and Jara went to. You'll learn the complete background of the mysterious stranger who was introduced in[…]”

From Unraveling Education: Houston, we have a Problem! & his name is AJ Crabill [Storytime], Feb 21, 2024

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/houston-we-have-a-problem-his-name-is-aj-crabill-storytime/id1719031832?i=1000646237618

This material may be protected by copyright.

Building Bridges Amid Book Bans Capitol Summit by Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) on April 21-22, 2024 [video]

Friends,

View here.

So happy to share this Instagram video by youth organization, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) headed by Cameron Samuels and his outstanding team...Da'Taeveyon Daniels, Christianna, Angel Huang, Haydn, and the rest of them who came from as far as El Paso and Beaumont. 

Specifically, I highlight here Saturday evening's anti-book-banning event at Book People this weekend here in Austin, Texas. It was livestreamed on Instagram. You can view the video here. 

It was awesome hanging out with Children's Defense Fund Texas Program and Policy Manager, Youth Engagement Maggie Stern. Thanks for teaching me how to make a Zine.

Maggie is so gifted and loving in everything she does to help cultivate many of our youth into the incredible, wonderful people they are. It's also clear that there are a lot of great things these young people are doing with their lives on their own time, too.

As for myself, I'm blown away after having spent two days contemplating not just book bans, the attack on librarians, and an absence of libraries in some schools, but actually talking about books, audiobooks, and the transformative, liberating power of books, librarians, and libraries.

Basil, thanks for opening up my eyes about Emmanuel Kant and the Enlightenment. It was eye-opening. Another one I came across was Sharon Smith's text titled, Subterranean Fire. Looking forward to all my Summer reading. What a treat! 

This gave me the opportunity to share books with them, too, as per this initial recommended list. I honestly can say that I've lived my whole adult life and I've never had an extended conversation with youth about books.

These young people are our future. My heart is so full after spending the weekend with them and Maggie. Honestly, my friends, our future couldn't be in better hands. These young people are so incredibly bright, principled, passionate, and phenomenal. Do take some time and listen to the video. My heart is full.🩷

-Angela Valenzuela

Follow SEAT on Instagram @studentsengagedtx

#SEAT24

 

Podcast Interview with Dr. Angela Valenzuela on Ethnic Studies, CRT, and Where we Should be Headed in Education

 

Friends,

Happy to share this podcast Interview that took place during the pandemic on Ethnic Studies, CRT, and where we should be headed in education with Dr. Abdín Noboa-Rios and Dr. Tony Baez. You can link directly to this interview below or view it here on Youtube.

I listened to it recently and happened to like my responses to Drs. Noboa-Rios and Baez' questions. 

As I think about Ethnic Studies and Critical Race Theory (CRT), my biggest concern is not solely with the mischaracterizations but also with the anti-intellectual agenda of not wanting to know minoritized or subaltern voices, histories, cultures, languages, identities, ways of knowing and so on when so much of what they're about is redemptive, intellectually expansive, and fully enhancing of everybody's lived experience.  I speak of these kinds of things in the podcast. 

Someday, Ethnic Studies will simply be called "a good education." Check out the Educa K-16 Podcast sponsored by the The DoMas Group and the various interesting interviews they've gathered over the years.

-Angela Valenzuela

Ok, so were UT cuts more aimed at gaining politicians' trust more than SB17 compliance? That's what's suggested here. As expressed by Jennifer Ebbeler, I, too, am concerned of an endless dynamic of appeasing the legislature. What comes next? I hate to ask.

-Angela Valenzuela

UT-Austin program cuts come with attempts to regain politicians' trust after DEI law, president says

AUSTIN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 22: Students walk through the University of Texas at Austin on February 22,

2024 in Austin, Texas. President Joe Biden has announced another $1.2 billion in student loan forgiveness,

adding to a total of $138 billion forgiven. That announcement comes despite a Supreme Court Ruling that

blocked relief for student loan debt last June. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

April 15, 2024

Samantha Ketterer | Houston Chronicle

A University of Texas at Austin shakeup that led to the layoffs of 49 employees — many of whom were previously reassigned from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion positions — was partly driven by a desire to protect the long-term outlook of the institution as conservatives have increasingly lost trust in higher education, President Jay Hartzell told faculty Monday.  

Hartzell’s statements at a meeting of university’s Faculty Council became the most detailed explanation provided since UT-Austin shuttered a rebranded version of its diversity office and advocates sounded the alarm about the consequently closed programs and job losses. 

Read more: Lawmaker behind Texas DEI ban expects universities to still strive for 'diverse outcomes'

The decisions were not made to comply further with Senate Bill 17, which bans diversity hiring programs, DEI training and DEI offices in public higher education, Hartzell said. He believed that the university came into compliance with the bill by its Jan. 1 deadline — although a number of complaints have made clear that some people think otherwise, he said — but he decided to close some programs in the rebranded office as an effort to eliminate job redundancies. Another factor was a recognition that UT as a flagship is subject to more scrutiny than other Texas institutions and needed to prove to lawmakers that it is a good steward of state resources. 

“Ultimately, my role is to worry about the long-run future of the university — thinking about not only what had to happen by Jan. 1 but as this plays out over the coming months and years, how am I doing what I can to mitigate what I believe and many others believe are real and imminent risks?” Hartzell said.

“Those are risks,” he said, “that if left unchecked, could affect the very basic way we run the university.”

SB17 led to major changes at universities across the state, with UT-Austin among several that reorganized its diversity offices to toss a focus on minority populations and serve all students. The announcement earlier this month to close the rebranded Division of Campus and Community Engagement and relocate some of its programs then came as a surprise — as did the following revelations about the firings and some program closures, including the Women’s Community Center.

Hartzell clarified Monday that several factors led to the program closures. In addition to the changing climate surrounding a mistrust of higher education, the original adjustments stemming from SB17 caused some redundancies across the university as programs became more general, the president said. 

Administrators looked for programs overlapping with others at UT and opted to discontinue those programs, he said. The result was a smaller division with more autonomous programs that could be moved elsewhere.

In all, 49 positions were eliminated and eight associate or assistant deans will be returned to their full faculty positions, Hartzell said. Those who were fired will be paid through July 5 but will also receive special consideration for any open positions for which they’re qualified. The president took responsibility for the decision, which he made in consultation with his leadership team, he said.

“That is something that we clearly don’t take lightly,” Hartzell said. “I hate that it affected people. It’s something our whole leadership team worked on and fretted over.”

The changes this month came as many students and faculty in the UT community already feared overcompliance with the law.

Hartzell pointed Monday to several signals of high levels of scrutiny. State Sen. Brandon Creighton, a Conroe Republican and the author of the ban, had warned state university officials that simply renaming DEI offices and job titles was not enough to comply with SB17. Hearings will occur in May where high-ranking officials in the state’s university systems will explain how they have implemented the law. And Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick last week issued a charge for the continued monitoring of the ban.  

The state will conduct an audit every four years to ensure universities' compliance, carrying ramifications on state funding for those in violation, said Andrea Sheridan, deputy to the president for governmental affairs and initiatives. 

Some people have been “spending their days” looking for ways the university has not been in compliance, Hartzell added. There have been some honest mistakes, he said, and some where those filing the complaints got it wrong. 

“I’m sure it’s not over,” Hartzell said.

HIGHER ED: UT-Austin firings anger students, advocates as lawmakers call for enforcement of DEI ban

Changes to the public perception of higher education have changed starkly in recent years. About 50% of people self-identifying as Democrats say in public surveys that they trust the field, and fewer than 20% of people self-identifying as Republicans say the same, the university president said, citing data shared at an Association of American Universities conference. 

The UT System Board of Regents has also instructed the university of its desire for UT-Austin to act in ways that restores and raises public confidence in the institution, Hartzell said.

“We’re all working on trying to help people understand how great we are, but we’re in a setting where there’s a lot of concern about higher education, the role that we play in society,” he said.

One associate professor expressed relief that the changes to the community engagement division didn’t stem from compliance to SB17. But the overarching issues are still problematic, especially if they ever lead to attacks on what faculty members can teach, she said.

“It’s deeply concerning however to hear that they do relate to concerns about the long-term stability of the university and particularly the support of our Legislature for what we do on campus,” Jennifer Ebbeler said. “It seems like there’s a potential for a dynamic here in which we are continually trying to appease the Legislature.”

Hartzell answered that he’s an optimist, although he understands the worry that universities are a “moving target.”

“Part of what we do, people don’t fully understand,” he said. “What’s all on the top research universities as a community is to help the country see why we’re here.”

April 15, 2024

Samantha Ketterer

REPORTER Samantha Ketterer is a Houston Chronicle reporter covering higher education. She can be reached at samantha.ketterer@houstonchronicle.com

My Blog Is Ranked Number 5 Among The Top Education Blogs In Texas: Showing "My Flex" on this day of April 17, 2024

 Friends,

As you can view for yourselves here, I am very pleased to announce that my blog is ranked number 5 among the top education blogs in Texas. Glad I checked. When I shared this yesterday with my students, one of them expressed, "You got flex!"

Cool, so "I got flex"—a new expression for me.

This blog got going 20 years ago. Before that, I ran a listserv for 7 years. If you want to know why I blog, I invite you to read this Nov. 10, 2021 message titled, "A Personal Message on Why I Blog and a Word of Thanks by Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D."

Although I don't—and have never blogged—for pay or for recognition, I am nevertheless pleased that after 20 years of doing so, I am nevertheless getting recognition for this. I have to admit, I was somewhat shocked to learn that I'm a notch below the Texas Education Agency (Texas' state Department of Education) and above the Dallas Morning News, the Texas Tribune, as well as many other reputable blogs. 

This could also all shift in a heartbeat, so I'm just showing my flex today. That's all. I promise to continue doing my best to put forth credible material and opinions into the blogosphere. This seems even more important as we enter into a world of AI where sources, authenticity, and authoritative perspectives matter more now than ever. 

Moreover, I am fully aware of the global reach my blog has far beyond Austin, Texas, and the United States, to include such places as those highlighted on this day of April 17, 2024, from the past 7 days of page turns noted on this map. Even as I definitely have regular visitors, other places light up differently depending on what I'm posting. It would be amazing to someday regularly reach every corner of the planet. The power of the Internet, no less...

In the meantime, abundant thanks to all my readers. 

Y'all got flex, too! We all got flex! Muchísimas gracias!

Sí se puede! Yes we can!

-Angela Valenzuela

INVITATION: Student-led SEAT24 Summit @ Book People on Sat. April 20 & at the Texas State Capitol on Sun. April 21, 2024

Friends,

I'm thrilled to announce that Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) is here in Austin, Texas on Friday, April 20, and Sunday, April 21st to demand a seat at the table in decisions that directly affect them.

I know there are a lot of great things happening among our youth in Texas, but this is tops! Plus, it makes enormous sense to me for young people to be accomplish this via a focus on policy. Long overdue.

Follow and friend them on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/studentsengagedtx/

Saturday, April 20, 2024— "Building Bridges Amid Book Bans," at BookPeople, located at 603 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78703m., Austin, Texas

For Saturday's welcome program, SEAT is welcoming community members of all ages for a student-led panel conversation on the freedom to read and learn as follows:

• 4:30 PM (CT) doors open

• 5 PM (CT) Program begins

🎥 Livestream or Zoom option available. Register HERE.

Sunday, April 21, 2024 Texas State Capitol Auditorium, 9AM-2PM

Come listen to a series of keynote speakers, myself included, together with hands-on leadership activities, an opportunity to network and celebrate youth engagement and visibility in policymaking.

💌 Reach out to programs@studentsengaged.org for questions and volunteer/adult engagement, and follow them @studentsengagedtx on Instagram to stay posted 📝

Register for SEAT's main summit 📝

I couldn't be more proud of these youth.

-Angela Valenzuela