Listen to the King

We are quickly approaching two major events in our country this month as we kick off 2025. We will have the return of the Trump administration with their commitment to dismantle the Department of Education as we know it. Also, this month we will celebrate what would have been Dr. Martin Luther King’s 95th birthday on Jan. 15. These two events are important for two different reasons. We must brace ourselves for life without the department of education and we must also embrace and examine King’s 1948 Morehouse Essay on the purpose of education as a way forward for us all. Life without the Department of Education The Department of Education was created in 1867 by President Andrew Johnson with the goal of collecting data on the nation’s education system. Its impact and growth continued all the way up to 1979 when President Jimmy Carter signed legislation that created it as we know it today. The focus of the Department of Education includes developing and enforcing federal education laws, administering financial aid programs, collecting data on the nation’s schools and students and conducting research on educational issues. The Trump administration’s primary issue with the department is their belief that it...