Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.”
Education, at its best, is meant to open minds, inspire critical thought, and cultivate a generation that questions, innovates, and demands justice. But today, both intelligence and character are under attack. Around the world and here in the United States, political forces are working to reshape education into a tool of control rather than liberation.
Students and educators alike are facing increasing pressure to conform, to stay silent, and to accept a limited version of history that serves those in power rather than the pursuit of truth. This is not by accident—it is by design.
Education is supposed to be the great equalizer, the pathway to progress, the foundation of democracy. Instead, it is being targeted as a battleground for oppression, censorship, and political control.
If you are a student today, you are not just navigating coursework and exams. You are navigating an education system under siege. You are standing at the crossroads of history, forced to make choices that will define your generation’s legacy.
Education Under Attack—Here and Around the World
Vladimir Putin recently declared, “Wars are won by teachers,” and his government has acted on that belief—not by empowering educators, but by forcing them into submission.
In Russia, education is no longer about knowledge and inquiry; it has become a mechanism of propaganda. The state has taken deliberate steps to strip universities of their independence and rewrite history to serve nationalist goals.
- Universities are being forced to purge Western influences, dismantling programs in the humanities and social sciences that encourage critical thinking.
- History is being rewritten, with textbooks now glorifying Russia’s past and whitewashing the Soviet Union’s totalitarian history.
- Dissent is being crushed, with students and professors who challenge the government’s narrative facing expulsion, imprisonment, or worse.
Russia understands that education is power. A nation that learns to question authority, to challenge oppression, to demand justice—is a nation that cannot be controlled. So they are systematically dismantling that power, ensuring that future generations of Russians will be shaped by a single, unquestioned narrative.
This might seem distant, a problem for another country. But it is happening here too.
The attacks on education in the United States mirror the same goals: control, suppression, and the erasure of inconvenient truths.
- Higher Education Funding Is Under Attack – The push to defund Pell Grants and federal student loans would make college inaccessible for millions of students, particularly students of color and first-generation scholars. Without financial aid, education will once again become a privilege of the wealthy, deepening racial and economic disparities.
- Immigration Crackdowns Are Driving Fear on Campus – ICE raids and restrictive policies are forcing undocumented and international students into hiding, afraid that their pursuit of knowledge could lead to deportation. Education should be a sanctuary, not a place of fear.
- Academic Freedom Is Being Stifled – Book bans, attacks on diversity initiatives, and politically motivated curriculum changes are silencing educators and limiting what students are allowed to learn. States like Florida and Texas are mirroring the Russian model—erasing history, controlling narratives, and punishing those who speak out.
- State-Controlled Education Is on the Rise – Certain state governments are dictating what can and cannot be taught in classrooms, removing discussions of race, gender, and systemic oppression. If we cannot examine our history honestly, we are doomed to repeat its mistakes.
Education is not just under attack—it is being weaponized. The same forces that silence journalists, suppress protest, and legislate against marginalized communities understand that controlling knowledge is the most effective way to control society.
To the Students Who Are Standing for Justice
If you have ever wondered whether you would have had the bravery to march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama…
If you have ever asked yourself if you would have refused to give up your seat like Rosa Parks…
If you have imagined yourself walking into a hostile school environment like Ruby Bridges, facing down hatred with dignity and resolve…
Ask yourself: What are you doing right now?
What choices are you making today?
This is not a rhetorical question. This is the test of your generation’s courage.
For those of you who have spoken out against the killing in the war in Palestine, who have marched, who have written letters, who have demanded justice for innocent lives lost—you are demonstrating the courage that history has always required of those who seek justice.
The murder of innocent people is inhumane and illegal. No matter where it happens or who it happens to, genocide, war crimes, and the destruction of human life should never be tolerated.
There are those who would rather you stay silent. There are those who believe that students should not speak on issues of war, on issues of human rights, on issues of injustice. But students have always been on the front lines of change. From the Civil Rights Movement to anti-apartheid protests to the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, young people—especially students—have pushed the world forward when governments and institutions failed to act.
Your protests, your voices, your refusal to accept injustice—these are acts of resistance.
Do not let anyone tell you that your activism doesn’t matter. It matters. It always has.
This Is Your Moment—What Will You Do?
James Baldwin reminds us that true education forces us to examine the society in which we live. The moment you become conscious, you are faced with a choice: to accept injustice or to challenge it.
Education is not just about earning a degree—it is about freedom. The ability to think critically, to ask hard questions, to demand justice is fundamental to democracy and social progress. If we allow political forces to dictate what can and cannot be taught, we are surrendering the power of education to those who seek to control it.
If you are a student, your presence in higher education is an act of defiance.
If you are an educator, your commitment to truth is an act of resistance.
If you are an activist, your willingness to stand for justice is an act of power.
You are not just students. You are future leaders, thinkers, and change-makers. Every class you take, every book you read, every discussion you engage in is an act of resistance against those who wish to keep you silent, invisible, and powerless.
The struggles you face today will become the foundation for the change you create tomorrow.
The Future Is in Your Hands
I marched. I stood up with a voice as a student. I march and stand up with a voice now. Because the fight for justice is not a phase—it is a lifelong commitment.
But now, it’s your turn.
Education is not just about personal success—it is about collective liberation. The movements of the past were led by students who refused to accept the world as it was. The movements of today and tomorrow belong to you.
The future is not written by politicians or university leaders in closed-door meetings. It is shaped by those who dare to dream, to question, and to resist. It is built by students (and university leaders) who refuse to be silenced, who walk out, who resign, who stand up, who speak truth to power even when the cost is high.
History is watching. And more importantly—the next generation is watching. One day, they will ask what you did when education was under attack, when innocent lives were taken, when injustice stood at your doorstep.
What will your answer be?
Will you be the student who stayed silent—or the one who stood?
Will you be the one who accepted oppression—or the one who fought for liberation?
Will you be the one who let history pass you by—or the one who made history?
The future is not something we wait for—it is something we create.
No matter the forces trying to stand in your way, the future is in your hands—and I know your generation is stronger, wiser, and more prepared than mine ever was. You have been shaped for this moment, and that is exactly why they are trying so hard to control education—because they fear another generation like yours rising up. But it’s too late. You’re here. You’re ready. Let’s win this.