What Happens If We Dismantle the Department of Education? A Warning From Someone Who Lived It

Today, I feel compelled to speak from both my heart and experience.

As someone who grew up in the Los Angeles of the 1980s — a latchkey kid navigating the gang violence, the crack epidemic, the fear of children going missing, the scars of neglect, and the resilience of hip-hop culture — I can tell you firsthand: education is not a privilege. It is a right.

It was education that saved me.

It was teachers, after-school programs, and federal protections that created spaces where a dreamer like me could survive the chaos outside my door.

Now, I watch in disbelief as this administration discusses dismantling the Department of Education. And I ask:

Do they truly understand what is at stake?

If there is no federal protection — no national standard to guarantee equitable funding, civil rights protections, and access for all students — the consequences will be devastating:

• States will decide who gets a real education and who doesn’t.

• Marginalized communities — Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, poor, disabled — will once again be left behind.

• “Separate but equal” will no longer be a shameful part of our history; it will become our reality again.

• Students who rely on IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), Title I, Title IX, and anti-discrimination protections will be abandoned.

Without the Department of Education, the powerful will thrive — and the vulnerable will be silenced.

We cannot pretend that education is a local issue only.

Education is a civil right. It is the very foundation of democracy, economic opportunity, and justice.

I did not earn the title of Dr. Arrington by accident. I fought for it. I overcame trauma, adversity, and systemic barriers because there were protections in place to give me a chance.

If we dismantle the Department of Education, we don’t just dismantle a building in Washington D.C.

We dismantle dreams.

We dismantle futures.

We dismantle hope.

And for millions of children — children like I once was — there may be no second chances.

We must protect education.

We must protect equity.

We must protect the next generation.

Because education is not a privilege reserved for the wealthy and the powerful.

It is a right. It is a promise. It is a lifeline.

And it must be defended with everything we have.

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