Imagine what we missed out on.

4/ University of South Carolina College of Education is arguably the champion of teaching critical consciousness to our future teachers via culturally relevant pedagogy. This is from 2020, but it's just as relevant today. I've collected a stash of docs on this particular topic. Say the word @SCFreedomCaucus and I'll prioritize report on it. But, frankly, there's more!

7/ Kevin Guskiewicz believed so strongly in race-conscious admissions that he spoke on the U.S. Supreme Court steps after oral arguments. “Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz, speaking on the steps of the Supreme Court after attending Monday’s oral arguments, also invoked the role of the University in preparing students for citizenship. “Today was about the value of diversity, a fundamental value that is core to our mission at Carolina,” he said. “This is about bringing and building a class every year of students at Carolina that will go on to become the civic leaders that we are going to count on to protect that democracy that has been threatened at times.” alumni.unc.edu/news/lawyers-…

4/ At a 2025 Michigan State University DEI awards ceremony: "‘What I've been consistent in saying is that it won't be a choice here,’ Guskiewicz said.” Conservatives should pay close attention to the part where he is noted as intending to approach legislators to “enlist them for help on messaging around the issue.” “Among the very first remarks by Michigan State University President Kevin Guskiewicz during Friday’s board meeting was "Our international students and scholars bring with them such diverse traditions and add so much to our cultural tapestry here at Michigan State University." He continued, "Very importantly, our diverse and cosmopolitan university community offers us lived experiences and perspectives that are essential to being a leading global public research university," before going on to congratulate the recent recipients of MSU’s Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Awards.” … And, in a press conference after the meeting, Guskiewicz said he’s met with federal "congressional leaders" from Michigan to explain MSU’s defense of DEI and enlist them for help on messaging around the issue amid the Trump administration's hostility toward the programs. "What I've been consistent in saying is that it won't be a choice here," Guskiewicz said. "We will be an inclusive community, and one that will always aspire toward the equity part." statenews.com/article/2025/0…

2/ While at Michigan State University, as with UNC-Chapel Hill before, he led university-wide DEI implementation and fought hard for race-conscious admissions. “As we move forward with our strategic initiatives, it is imperative that we align all efforts with MSU’s diversity, equity and inclusion values, ensuring that we prioritize a student-focused, forward-looking and boldly strategic pursuit of a more inclusive university community.” --President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D. [ ] “Our DEI work is a recurring topic of discussion in my listening tours... I think we're seeing improvement across our colleges in areas that, including faculty recruitment and staff recruitment.” –Kevin Guskiewicz inclusion.msu.edu/_assets/do…

1/ Meet Kevin Guskiewicz: Clemson’s New President, passionate DEI advocate.

1/One lesson from Georgia is that it's not just the data centers. It's the private property associated with data center development. And the water. And property values. And the landscape. The Politico article says they paid for the water once caught. But the issue is the water pressure, the water supply, quality of life. politico.com/news/2026/05/08…

6/ The Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina (AHSC) leadership, speaking for the group, also had a more personal “Statement on Racial Justice” in 2020: • NO MORE to not openly acknowledging structural and institutional racism and associated racial biases as the root causes of major health, education and economic disparities for communities of color across SC; • NO MORE just talking solely about pursuing health equity, but also take and encourage meaningful action at the policy, program and practice levels to achieve racial equity and justice; ...This day, we renew our common commitment to achieving health equity, racial equity and social justice across our state.

My reply was intended to initiate respectful dialog but was met with condescending snark, unbefitting someone who aspires to be an elected official (but quit). It's appropriate you deleted your first reply. At least you didn't refer to me as a "sheep" like the other "conservative" "leader." Disgraceful, both of you. Really wasn't expecting this weak position to back up your bad idea. It's impossible to correct such ill-conceived thinking via a series of X posts. But let me say this and not waste another moment of my time. Economics, common sense, and just a little bit of real world experience says establishing "free" technical education facilities would be a disaster. Did you speak with any economists about incentives, human nature, benefits, and costs? Did you speak with instructors at "free" ed institutes anywhere in the world? Or the average public school stateside? Because this isn't a first-world concept. I've visited some, always in the third world. Run down, etc. Speaking of the 1980s, did you look into the failure/bankruptcy rates of the late-1980s-1990s privately-run, privately-owned tech "career colleges" at the dawn of the computer age? I worked at one temporarily before grad school. I know who the students would be in your schools. Companies would pay for it? Who will that cost be passed to? Consumers. Or are you proposing state-run, taxpayer-funded tech education institutes that will become run-down money pits that eventually close? Did you consider that taxpayers would not only be paying for the failed model of tech "career colleges" from the 1980s (private or public facilities) but also have to fund "scholarships" for the under-qualified who would eventually drop out? Where will this end up? Even now, in Charleston, they're talking about legislation to fund daily food for college students (while also raising the matter of lack of transportation and college housing --no doubt so they can propose legislation for us to fund that, too, plus the usual scholarships). So, we should expect taxpayers to eventually support housing, transportation, and food. Welfare-to-education scam. Students who perform poorly will drop out, you say? Yes, after we give them scholarships. After a permanent, bloated bureaucracy enrolls them, counsels them on careers, signs them up for social services, for tutoring (--imagine the explosion of tutoring pop-ups! Why, I bet the fraud and crony-run businesses could rival home health and daycare-for-all operations!). Forget economics and past documented failures. Let's stick to common sense and human nature. If it's "free" it has no value, even to the students who enroll. If it's "free" that means taxpayers fund it AND all fund all the things I mentioned. If it's "free" the institute's reputation will be low and students who aspire to expert status will shun it. If it's "free" the best teachers will avoid it. If it's "free" the result will be waste and poor education outcomes. This would have to be government run, no private biz could last. Maybe this is simply a case of people who believe that taxpayer-funded, government run education (plus social services) just hasn't been done right yet.

South Carolina: culturally responsive/relevant pedagogy is core to our K-12 education system. It was even part of the SCDE Social Emotional Learning website rolled out circa 2020-2021. CRP was core to UofSC College of Ed in that timeframe, being spread to K-12, and there's lot's of available (archived) open source data, university faculty and k-12 teachers' names, dates, academic papers, books, the odd video or two, etc., to track its critical theory ideology, implementation, and spread in SC. Here's one of the recommended resources from the archived SC SEL website. And an image of one of the embedded slides. “sociopolitical consciousness” is another term for critical consciousness. Race-centered student activism for social justice and liberation. That's when I started educating myself. And I found it in the company hired to develop our Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. It's at the foundation of the state's K-12 ed. web.archive.org/web/20210918…

5/ The South Carolina State University Intersectional Studies Conference website links directly to a Racial Equity Tools definition of intersectionality that adds more context. racialequitytools.org/resour…