The NAACP Cleveland chapter has decided to plant a flag squarely against President Trump’s America First educational agenda. In a move that should outrage parents and taxpayers alike, the NAACP is openly rewarding school board members who defy President Trump’s commonsense executive orders to remove divisive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) mandates from classrooms. This isn’t protecting democracy—it’s undermining American values, and it’s putting our children at risk.
According to a recent Fox News report, Meryl Johnson, the education committee chair for the Cleveland NAACP, was caught on camera proudly announcing their intentions to honor board members who refuse to adhere to the Trump administration’s directives. Johnson stated that these board members have “defied that, what I call, an immoral suggestion from the president” to eliminate DEI policies. This brazen defiance isn’t merely political grandstanding—it’s a direct affront to lawful executive authority and a slap in the face to parents who want schools to focus on academics, not activism.
Johnson went on to boast about the “Guardian of Justice Awards” being handed out as part of the NAACP’s “Teach Truth Day of Action,” an event co-hosted by the radical Zinn Education Project. “We’re going to be giving awards to school board members along with a certificate,” Johnson said. School districts such as Cincinnati, Shaker Heights, and Cleveland Heights-University Heights are among those openly flouting Trump’s directives and receiving accolades for it.
President Trump’s policies aren’t arbitrary—they’re urgently needed measures to restore sanity and unity to our education system. His executive order, “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling,” explicitly prohibits schools from teaching anti-American propaganda, gender ideology, and divisive critical race theory. It also mandates prosecution of educators who facilitate the social transition of minors without parental consent. How is protecting children and respecting parental rights “immoral,” Ms. Johnson?
Mehek Cooke, an Ohio mother and attorney, spoke vehemently against this dangerous stunt: “As a mother, an attorney, and Ohioan, I am appalled…This is not just reckless—it’s a direct attack on our children’s future.” Cooke rightly points out that defying federal law jeopardizes essential federal funding such as Title I initiatives for disadvantaged students and IDEA programs for children with disabilities. She added, “That money isn’t political, it’s essential. It keeps the lights on in struggling schools, pays for reading intervention, and supports the very students DEI ideologues claim to protect.”
Indeed, schools openly violating these federal orders aren’t just risking their funding—they’re gambling with our children’s futures for political points. Parents have had enough of unelected ideologues force-feeding destructive ideas to impressionable minds. DEI mandates, far from creating “equity,” have proven to sow division, resentment, and academic mediocrity. Trump’s America First approach to education means empowering parents, encouraging excellence, and ensuring that our children graduate with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in a competitive world.
The NAACP’s actions reveal the true agenda behind the DEI movement: power, control, and ideological conformity. This isn’t education—it’s indoctrination, plain and simple. When school boards put virtue-signaling above the well-being of students, parents must stand up and say “enough.”
The Trump administration has made it crystal clear: schools that defy the president’s directives will face consequences. It’s time to hold these school boards accountable. Pull their federal funding immediately, investigate their disregard for executive orders, and publicly inform parents about what’s happening behind closed doors.
Our children’s education should never be a battleground for political activism. It’s time to reject the divisive DEI agenda and restore a commitment to genuine education—one that unites rather than divides. Let schools focus again on teaching math, reading, science, and history—not woke ideology. America First means putting American families first—and that includes ensuring our children receive an education worthy of this great nation.
