IFT President Stacy Davis Gates: “This Is Racism Disguised as a Tax-Code.”
WESTMONT — Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) and Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) President Stacy Davis Gates issued the following statement today in response to President Trump’s proposed Treasury Department and IRS regulation change that threatens the tax-exempt status of private schools and colleges with programs and policies that serve students of color.
“The Trump administration is weaponizing the IRS as a political tool to dictate educational policy from Washington. This isn’t tax policy. It is coercion.
The President is doing to private universities what he’s done to our public schools – attacking equity policies and programs that make them welcoming institutions for Black, trans, and immigrant young people. This time he’s just disguising his racism in a tax code instead of school policy.
IFT will stand with students of color, families, and faculty against any employer that uses this proposal as a pretext to attack educators, programs or students, or roll back programs that make for better institutions and more welcoming campuses.
It’s not enough to protest Trump’s move, our public institutions of higher education must become a bulwark and a refuge for students being targeted by the President. Our Governor investing in public education from pre-k to PhD is one of the strongest acts of resistance to Trump’s racist pro-billionaire agenda he could perform. In Illinois we can assert our values and Trump-proof higher education by fortifying our higher education policies and ensuring our institutions have the resources they need.”
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