FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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March 12, 2025
 

Race Forward, a national organization dedicated to advancing racial equity and justice, condemns the Trump administration’s firing of approximately half of the Department of Education’s employees. This reckless action to dismantle public education threatens the future of millions of public school students, undermining educational equity, and endangering critical protections for historically underserved communities.

“For decades, the Department of Education has played a crucial role in advancing educational opportunities for all children—including Black, Latino, Indigenous, Asian, immigrant, LGBTQ+, and students with disabilities,” said Glenn Harris, president of Race Forward. “Forcing massive layoffs to essentially shut down the Department would reverse many years of progress toward ensuring access to quality education, civil rights protections, and critical federal funding for schools that serve students in low-income communities.”

This attack on public education deeply harms the communities our HEAL Together program is dedicated to supporting and weakens our entire country by disrupting essential programs like Title I, special education funding, and protections under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that benefit millions of students. Moreover, it threatens our nation’s ability to cultivate an educated population capable of competing globally in science, technology, and other fields. This attack also undermines the core values of democracy, equity, and opportunity that public schools are meant to uphold.

“This is not just a bureaucratic decision—it’s a blatant attempt to defund and destabilize public education while promoting private interests,” Harris added. “But private interests do not bear the responsibility to serve all students. We cannot let the future of our children be collateral damage for ideological and financial gain.”

Race Forward calls on policymakers, educators, and communities across the country to stand united in defense of public education and equity for all students. We urge Congress to block these dangerous actions and reaffirm its commitment to funding and protecting public education as a cornerstone of democracy.

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Race Forward is a leading racial justice organization supporting communities and public institutions in achieving governance for a just multiracial democratic society in which people of color are able to thrive with purpose and power.