JACL Alarmed by Actions Against the Department of Education

The JACL is extremely alarmed by a series of actions regarding the suggested elimination of the Department of Education. While there have been rumors and reports of an upcoming Executive Order to be issued by President Trump to dismantle the Department, the Reduction in Force (RIF) announcement issued earlier this week is an alarming step in this direction. Besides announcing the layoffs of nearly 2,000 department staff, it also mentions that the department has a “final mission,” which this RIF is a part of. This action continues the dangerous trend of the administration to be rid of any departments, policies, agencies, etc, that are a danger to their political agenda.

This announcement follows additional directives from the Department of Education to investigate institutions of higher learning for civil rights violations in permitting the freedom of speech among their students. The Office of Civil Rights has additionally been targeted for deep cuts to its staff, which is already overburdened with unresolved cases. Civil rights enforcement is the core of the Department of Education's mission to ensure that all students have access to equitable education opportunities.

Our Japanese American community especially understands the importance of education. Not only as it relates to general education but especially relating to the incarceration experience during WWII. If not for educating members of Congress and the public through the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) and their findings in Personal Justice Denied, our community may not have gained redress and reparations in the 1980s. Bringing it further into the present, our community’s experience was vital in supporting Muslim and Arab American communities following September 11th and ensuring this history didn’t repeat itself. Understanding our history remains important today as we see a resurgence of policy proposals that emulate those that discriminated against Japanese Americans and Asian Americans over 100 years ago.

Education is our future; it is how we learn as children and how future generations will learn to be full members of society. But our education system has been broken for years, and our students are falling further and further behind. Rather than dismantling the system, we should attempt to save it and support students, not leave them in darkness. JACL joins others in urging the administration and members of Congress to reject any notion of dismantling the Department of Education.