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Donald Trump's plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education has nothing to do with saving taxpayer dollars—it's about bringing back Jim Crow and privatizing essential public services to fuel an oligarchy.
During the Jim Crow era, which largely ended in the 1960s following the civil rights movement, businesses and institutions were allowed to segregate people on the basis of race. Black people had to use separate water fountains and sit in different sections of the bus. Schools across the South, too, were racially segregated—and their funding reflected this disparity.
When it comes to basic civil rights, leaving something fully to the states has never been the solution. Slavery in southern states was once the norm, and not only was it barbaric, but it sparked a bloody civil war in which more than 600,000 died. Following reconstruction, Jim Crow laws went into effect, sparking a movement in which peaceful Black protesters were brutally beaten by law enforcement, attacked by police dogs, assaulted with high-pressure fire hoses, and even lynched.
The NAACP (previously known as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) was founded in 1909 in response to widespread lynchings. And throughout our 116 years of existence, we have fought tirelessly to end all forms of racism and ensure a federal standard that would prevent such atrocities against our people in any state.
The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), founded seven years later in 1916 by a group of proud educators in Chicago, today represents more than 1.8 million workers. Historically, the AFT has stood with the NAACP against injustice and inequality in public education and throughout our democracy for decades because of a shared belief that education offers a vehicle for equality and opportunity.
One example of this collaboration came 70 years ago, when NAACP Chief Counsel Thurgood Marshall secured a landmark victory for civil rights in the Supreme Court—Brown v. Board of Education. This decision ruled that policies enabling and establishing racial segregation in public schools were unconstitutional. The AFT was the only education organization to submit an amicus brief in this case.
We built on this landmark victory by advocating for the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which, in part, outlawed segregation in public schools.
The Department of Education has played a critical role in defending these values. The department funds public schools, targets investments in underserved communities to ensure all children have access to a quality education, and enforces civil rights laws to ensure schools are safe for all, regardless of race, gender, or ability.
The education system in America has always been run by the states, but the NAACP has fought hard for federal standards to ensure that states work within a reasonable framework that ensures all children have their civil rights protected, that history—including Black history—is recognized, and that everyone growing up in America has access to an enriching educational experience.
States deserve flexibility and the room to be creative; they should not, however, be empowered to violate basic rights, as they have before.
Many states, especially southern states that continue to perpetuate racism, have resisted rewinding to the dark days of Jim Crow because they receive funding from the Department of Education, which also enforces civil rights laws in their schools. Without the department, an important incentive to treat all children with dignity and respect could disappear.
This is not an irrational concern. These states have done it before, and will do it again.
In fact, it's already beginning. According to a recent report, 7.4 percent of U.S. public schools were intensely segregated in 1988. By 2021, that figure had nearly tripled.
And we know that Black and brown students suffer most from school segregation, having less access to quality education. Studies have repeatedly shown that Black-majority school districts receive less funding for education resources than white-majority districts, furthering the racial achievement gap and widening the racial wealth gap.
Now more than ever, we need what the Department of Education does. It is the federal agency working to counter the state-led forces that want to restore Jim Crow. Without the department, these forces could undermine the opportunity and rights of every American not born with, as Ann Richards said, a "silver spoon in her mouth."
Throughout the beginning of his second term, President Trump and his unelected billionaire sidekick Elon Musk have shown little regard for these basic principles. They have even included these efforts in their foreign policy agenda, seeking to undermine long-term allies by stoking far-right political divisions and racial uprisings in other countries, like South Africa. Trump and Musk have repeatedly attacked any effort to boost diversity, inclusion, equity, or acceptance in the classroom and workplace, and Trump is now floating his official plan to dismantle the Education Department.
Already, as part of those efforts, dozens of employees at the department have been placed on leave according to their union.
Trump's plan is clear. By defunding and dismantling public education and other democratic institutions, he hopes to oversee the privatization and fragmentation of government services.
That is why the president has unconstitutionally given Elon Musk—the world's richest man—unprecedented access to the federal government. Musk, despite being wholly unelected, has already taken over a federal agency, threatening to shut it down. Trump has also pushed through cabinet nominees with little to no relevant experience, including Linda McMahon, Trump's pick to lead the Education Department. McMahon is a former WWE executive with an estimated net worth (shared with her husband) of around $3 billion.
But the Department of Education is bigger than Mrs. McMahon's nomination. By the numbers, 26 million vulnerable students could lose key services. That includes the 7.5 million students with disabilities who could lose special education support, the 10 million students from working-class families who could lose access to affordable college, and the 12 million students who could lose access to career and technical education programs.
What we are witnessing is the blatant takeover of our government by billionaires.
In this deeply troubling moment, we urge Congress to forcefully push back against Trump's reckless actions to dismantle and privatize such critical functions of the government—functions that defend and advance our nation's most fundamental civil rights. We have fought too hard, and have made it too far, to turn back.
We also urge our communities to come together, parents and students to share their stories, and educators and those who support our children to raise their voices. That's why we're taking action on March 4 to Protect Our Kids. Join us—we won't go back.
Ultimately, if Trump really wanted to put America first, he would support all our children. Instead, he is putting America's children last. And that should trouble us all who still believe in the dwindling promise and ideals of the United States of America.
Derrick Johnson is the President and CEO of the NAACP, America's preeminent civil rights organization. Randi Weingarten is the President of the AFT, representing 1.8 million members across education, healthcare, and public services.
The views expressed in this article are the writers' own.
