All those worries about book bans in public school libraries was just a “hoax,” according to the Trump administration. The acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education made that declaration in a Jan. 24 news…
‘School choice’ expected to grow under Trump
Conservative Christian activists hope President Donald Trump’s pledge to close the Federal Department of Education and “move everything back to the states” will help them expand “school choice” programs that use taxpayer dollars for vouchers students can use to attend…
America needs a new sanctuary movement today
As President Donald Trump categorically bans people from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border and cancels flights for incoming refugees, it’s worth recalling this isn’t the first time the federal government has failed the world’s most vulnerable — nor would it be the first time…
I cannot stay silent about erasing the Tuskegee Airmen
As a historian, educator and scholar of the Tuskegee Airmen, I cannot stay silent about the removal of pivotal lessons on American history from U.S. military classrooms. The Trump-era Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy that led to this decision is…
‘Laken Riley Act’ sets the stage for Trump campaign against immigrants
Amid a flurry of executive orders from the White House immediately after Donald Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20, immigrant and refugee advocates were on the lookout for signs of the campaign promises they fear most. Some of those things came true…
Here’s why ‘pro-family’ groups are on board with Trump’s first days in office
“Pro-family” groups are praising President Donald Trump for issuing executive orders that support their conservative agenda: Recognizing only “two sexes: male and female” Terminating DEI programs in the federal government Withdrawing from international organizations that allegedly threaten U.S. sovereignty (the…
The American church has betrayed its southern neighbors
The weekend before Donald Trump’s inauguration, I was at a worship service. However, it was not among the privileged of society in one of the numerous American megachurches; it was with a group of asylum seekers on the Mexican side…
Beyond Project 2025: MAGA populism’s religious plurality
The fears around Project 2025 were overblown by the Harris campaign, and that may be dangerous. In the 2024 election, talk of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 was ubiquitous among liberal voters. Kamala Harris pressed Donald Trump on the issue…
Is this what you voted for?
On Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald Trump commuted the sentences of the paramilitary members who had been convicted of (or who had pled guilty to) seditious conspiracy for their part in the January 6 insurrection at the U.S….
Here’s a rundown of Trump’s ‘day one’ immigration actions
Donald Trump issued a slew of immigration-related executive orders on “day one” ranging from closing the southern border and ending birthright citizenship to closing asylum and refugee admissions. Trump has claimed immigration was the issue that got him elected and…
Most Americans oppose Trump’s pardon of January 6 criminals
President Donald Trump’s blanket pardons handed out on “day one” of his presidency to those convicted of crimes on January 6 are vastly unpopular with the American people. Even through Trump continues to spread the lie that the 2020 presidential…
The testing of our faith
With Monday’s inauguration, we have entered a new phase of the testing of our faith. I’m supposed to be a regular BNG columnist, but I’ve only written one piece since the election — one about our need to resist what…