Oppose Trump’s Executive Order Restricting Educational Content

We are writing to express our deep concern and strong opposition to President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders aimed at restricting educational topics, particularly discussions of race, gender, and historical injustices. This attempt to control academic discourse is an unconstitutional attack on Americans’ rights and mirrors tactics used by authoritarian regimes to suppress knowledge, critical thinking, and free expression. Throughout history, oppressive governments have used censorship and state-controlled education to maintain power. From Nazi Germany’s control over school curricula to the Soviet Union’s suppression of dissenting narratives, restricting education has consistently been a pathway to authoritarian rule. In the United States, the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech and expression, including in educational institutions. These executive orders contradict those foundational principles. Beyond constitutional concerns, restricting educational topics threatens the future of our nation. A well-educated society is essential for a functioning democracy. Denying students access to comprehensive historical and social discussions undermines their ability to critically analyze the world. Research consistently shows that teaching a full and accurate history—including difficult subjects—fosters civic engagement, empathy, and social cohesion. Censorship leads instead to ignorance, division, and erosion of democratic values. Furthermore, these orders set a dangerous precedent. If the government can dictate what educators teach based on political ideology, it creates a chilling effect on academic freedom. What would stop future administrations from banning discussions on climate change, economic theories, or scientific advancements that do not align with their agenda? Allowing such censorship places the United States on a perilous path toward authoritarianism. We urge you to stand against this unconstitutional attack on education. The government’s role should be to protect freedoms—not restrict them. We ask that you publicly oppose these orders, work to preserve academic freedom, and take legislative action to prevent such overreach in the future. The United States has long been a beacon of democracy, but democracy cannot survive without an informed and educated citizenry. We hope you will recognize the severity of this issue and act accordingly to uphold the values upon which our nation was founded.