EDUCATION

PAGE ONE

Panel 1

An image of books piled in a bonfire.

CAPTION: Authoritarian and fascist governments have always feared an educated populace.

Panel 2

Ronald Reagan stands in the foreground, while in the background three students hold signs that say “Fight Racism,” “Support Free Speech,” and “No War.”

CAPTION: As governor of California, Ronald Reagan clamped down on student dissent in the University of California system and instituted policies to get rid of

REAGAN: Undesirables. (1)

CITATION: (1) The Daily Bruin, 2/18/70

Panel 3

An elephant representing Reagan education advisor Roger Freeman stands guard in front of the locked front gate of a college. He reaches out to stop a line of four students from entering. The first student is a Black man.

CAPTION: When he became president, Reagan’s plan to stop dissent turned to discussions of who could or should go to college. Reagan’s education advisor Roger Freeman wasn’t subtle.

ELEPHANT: We have to be selective on who we allow to go to college. (2)

CITATION: (2) San Francisco Chronicle, 10/30/70

Panel 4

The captions in this panel surround an image of a school voucher, represented by a dollar bill with the letter “V” in the corners. In the center of the voucher is a parody image of the comic book character Richie Rich, a boy with center-parted hair and a bowtie, quoting the 2025 document.

CAPTION: This insidious mentality soon trickled down to public school policy.

CAPTION: Now Project 2025 outlines how Republicans plan to make education a privilege instead of a right.

RICH KID: “Deregulate education and allow private institutions to control their admissions process.” [2025, p. 347]

CAPTION: At the top of the list is “school choice,” a euphemism for school vouchers.

Panel 5

The Richie Rich parody character holds money in one hand and reaches out with the other. A poorer, more rural boy in overalls and a baseball cap drops coins into Richie’s outstretched hand. The rural boy has bags under his eyes, and his stomach is rumbling.

CAPTION: School vouchers are used disproportionately by the rich to send their kids to pricey private schools at the taxpayer’s expense, diverting educational funds from poor and rural areas. (3)

RICH KID: Gimme your lunch money.

POOR RURAL KID: Sigh.

CITATION: (3) Lieberman, Education Week, 10/4/23

PAGE TWO

Panel 1

Marie Antoinette, wearing yellow rubber gloves and a hairnet on top of her huge updo, stands behind a school lunch counter. Kids in front of her stare sadly down at their empty trays.

CAPTION: Speaking of lunch money, the party of “family values” also wants to restrict free school lunches. 

MARIE ANTOINETTE: Let zem eat cake. Just not here.

Panel 2

Donald Trump, in a suit and red baseball cap, stands in front of a classroom, holding two apples under one arm and three apples stacked in his other hand. On the chalkboard behind him are the words “Today’s Lesson: You + 2025 = 0.”  In front of him, a child who’s turned green with hunger grips his desk in desperation.

CAPTION: By restricting access to food, Project 2025 would widen the educational gap between the haves and have-nots. Students who don’t get enough food have lower math scores, get poorer grades, and have more behavioral struggles. (4)

TRUMP: If Jenny had 2 of my very delicious apples and Johnny had 3…how many would they have if I took them all away?

CITATION: Food Research and Action Center, May 2021, frac.org

Panel 3

A close up of Donald Trump munching on one of his apples, spittle flying. A worm emerges from the half-eaten apple.

CAPTION: Of course, it will come as no surprise that those that suffer from food insecurity are often low-income families and people of color. Or, as they are known in MAGA circles:

TRUMP: Undesirables.