March 20, 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PRESS STATEMENT
CONTACT apr@fenton.com
The long anticipated order comes as the Trump administration has previously made several moves toward eroding diversity, equity and inclusion in education, including demanding that public K-12 schools and colleges cut DEI programs
March 20, 2025 –– Dr. Andrea Abrams, executive director of the Defending American Values Coalition, a member of the American Pride Rises Network, issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s plan to issue an executive order to eliminate the education department, with the intent to “return education authority to the States.”
“The Trump administration’s vendetta against equal access to education knows no bounds. These dangerous and baseless attacks on our nation’s families and children will have grave consequences for millions of Americans.
“This executive order is a thinly veiled attempt to legalize discrimination under the guise of ‘local control,’ making it resoundingly clear that the Trump administration’s goal is not to expand opportunity, but to limit it and hoard it for a select few.
“Instead of eliminating barriers so all students can receive a quality education, the Trump administration is dismantling the very institution designed to ensure that our nation’s education system works for students of all backgrounds, including low-income students, those with learning disabilities, and students of color.
“The ongoing attack on education and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is rooted in fear – fear of competition, fear of change, and a desire to maintain a status quo that benefits a few at the expense of many. These continued attacks on DEI are a cynical effort to roll back progress, block pathways to success, and restore a world in which only a privileged few have the chance to thrive.
“As an educator, I understand just how powerful knowledge can be in unlocking doors to success. To progress as a nation, we must expand access and opportunity for all, not restore barriers designed to exclude.”
About American Pride Rises:
American Pride Rises (APR) is an initiative committed to protecting pathways to the American Dream by fighting for a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive America for all.