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Our country needs more Black teachers 鈥� and those teachers deserve to feel safe and supported when they show up to serve.

This statement is not about racial preference, or any so-called 鈥渨oke鈥� priorities. It鈥檚 about improving learning outcomes for all children. And right now, with public schools divided among  even more than they have been since the Civil Rights era, those who claim to care about Black children鈥檚 success in school should care whether those students see themselves reflected in those teaching them. 

the power of Black teachers and culturally responsive learning environments. They contribute to higher achievement, increased critical thinking skills, and better preparation for a global workforce. By contrast, eliminating these efforts ensures that future generations, especially Black and Latino students, face even greater barriers to success.

Ronald Reagan understood this. Reagan, the GOP鈥檚 lionized conservative icon, encouraged our country to put more Black teachers in our classrooms. 

In 1987, Reagan issued  recognizing the significant contributions of Black teachers within American society. It urged citizens to honor Black educators and acknowledge the historical challenges they鈥檇 surmounted. 

The proclamation states: 鈥淪o that America continues to remain a land of opportunity for all people鈥� we should encourage a wide representation of African Americans as teachers and continued concern for African American students.鈥� 

Reagan, the classic 鈥淎merica First鈥� president, cared enough about our country鈥檚 future to emphasize the need for Black educators. But in today鈥檚 GOP, which has embraced racial polarization and denies the need for any race-based initiatives, Reagan would be derided and booted out.  

Today, Ronald Reagan would be labeled 鈥渨oke鈥� (although others had more聽聽for him) by the Trump administration and his followers.聽

The divergence between these two Republican presidents highlights how far half of the body politic has moved in just under four decades. We are moving socially and politically backwards at a time when our country is becoming increasingly more . 

The recent executive orders, veiled as an attempt to reduce government spending, and applied on Trump鈥檚 first day in office before any real due diligence on expenditures could be accounted for, set sights on . 

While federal dollars account for about  to public schools, public schools are an easy political target. Weaponizing racial equity initiatives that support students 鈥� such as actively recruiting more Black teachers 鈥� helps score cheap political points. The effect on students is of no concern to those now in control.

Historically, Republican leaders, even if reluctantly, recognized that investing in education and ensuring access for all Americans, including Black students, was crucial for national prosperity. 

The Republican party of Reagan’s era somewhat embraced the contributions of Black educators and the essential importance of education for Black Americans to succeed. Today it has been declared that to 鈥淢ake America Great Again,鈥� we must erase all mention of race from public discourse in the name of parity while  to remove inconvenient and painful realities. 

Reagan鈥檚 public acknowledgment of the need for Black educators and inclusive learning environments reflects at least a basic understanding that when diverse talent flourishes, so does the nation and its economy. This appears to elude current Republican leadership.

We have to ask: What does the Republican party lose by having a diversified workforce? An increased number of Black teachers? More educated Black students? What could be gained if we did have all three?

As their anti-woke fever dreams come to life, they are destroying the very tools that could make America stronger, more competitive, more prosperous 鈥� and actually great.

The Republican party of Reagan鈥檚 era paid lip service to the idea that Black achievement was part of America鈥檚 success. The Republican party of Trump, however, seems determined to move the country closer to a dangerous precipice by erasing that idea altogether.

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