Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each episode, Michelle discusses difficult topics with a focus on practicing mindfulness and self-care as well as on claiming a personal space of acceptance, healing, and compassion.
In this episode, Michelle breaks down Trump’s $6.8 billion education funding cuts, the political attacks on K–12 and higher education, and asks a fundamental question: Who gets to learn? From DEI rollbacks to threats against academic freedom, we explore how these policies harm vulnerable students—and why access to education must remain a human right.
Below are links to articles about the topics discussed in the episode. This is not an exhaustive list and our listeners are encouraged to research these topics on their own as well:
“Donald Trump loves the 'poorly educated' — and they love him”
By Josh Hafner, USA TODAY - February 24, 2016
“Trump loves the poorly educated”
By Julianne Malveaux, The Chicago Crusader - March 28, 2025
“‘It’s been chaos:’ WVU nears end of tumultuous academic year after jobs, programs unexpectedly cut”
By Amelia Ferrell Knisely, West Virginia Watch - April 23, 2024
“Trump Has Targeted These Universities. Why?”
By Alan Blinder, The New York Times - June 30, 2025
“A Look at the Universities with Federal Funding Targeted by the Trump Administration”
By Makiya Seminera, Associated Press - April 15, 2025
"Rural Schools Feel the Pinch from Trump administration's cuts to mental health grants"
By Associated Press - June 27, 2025
"Who Will Bear the Brunt of Trump's Hold on $6.8 Billion in School Funds?"
By Mark Lieberman, Education Week - July 7, 2025
"See How Much School Funding Trump is Holding Back from Your State"
By Mark Lieberman, Education Week - July 1, 2025
"Democrats are Too Educated for Our Own Good"
By Chris Conrad, Political Science at Haverford College - October 27, 2020
“School districts sue Trump administration over $6 billion funding freeze”
by Arthur Jones II, ABC News - July 21, 2025
By Democracy Forward - July 21, 2025
“What Republican senators are now saying about Trump admin’s education funding freeze”
By Arthur Jones II, ABC News - July 23, 2025
“GOP senators urge Trump administration to reverse $6 billion education funding freeze”
By Arthur Jones II, ABC News - July 16, 2025
“24 states sue Trump admin to unfreeze more than $6 billion in education grants”
By Sequoia Carrillo, NPR - July 14, 2025
“Columbia University to pay $200m in settlement with Trump administration”
By Brandon Drenon, BBC News, Washington DC - July 24, 2025
You can find Mind Your Margins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can email suggestions for topics or share your thoughts at mindyourmargins@gmail.com
Host: Michelle Myers
Producer: Myong McCloud
Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each episode, Michelle discusses difficult topics with a focus on practicing mindfulness and self-care as well as on claiming a personal space of acceptance, healing, and compassion.
In this episode, Michelle confronts the escalating political attacks on higher education—fueled by authoritarian rhetoric, anti-intellectualism, and growing efforts to dismantle diversity, equity, and inclusion in colleges across the US. Are professors the enemy—or the last line of defense for truth and justice? In this episode, we unpack the Trump-era war on higher ed, the legacy of educational erasure, and what it means to teach from the margins in a time of rising repression. Education isn’t neutral—and neither are we.
Below are links to articles about the topics discussed in the episode. This is not an exhaustive list and our listeners are encouraged to research these topics on their own as well:
Horace Mann on Education and Poverty (1848)
bell hooks - Teaching to Transgress: Teaching as the Practice of Freedom
Paulo Freire-- The Pedagogy of the Oppressed
"Fact Check: Yes, Vance once said 'professors are the enemy.' He was quoting Nixon" from yahoo!news
You can find Mind Your Margins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can email suggestions for topics or share your thoughts at mindyourmargins@gmail.com
Host: Michelle Myers
Producer: Myong McCloud
Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each episode, Michelle discusses difficult topics with a focus on practicing mindfulness and self-care as well as on claiming a personal space of acceptance, healing, and compassion. In this episode, Michelle addresses how practicing self-acceptance and forgiving our ancestors can break karmic and generational cycles of trauma.
A special thank you to Lynn Daneguy for the use of her song: “Idyllic American Dream”
A picture of Oracle Card 25 "Creative Fire" will be posted to our Instagram page.
You can find Mind Your Margins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can email suggestions for topics or share your thoughts at mindyourmargins@gmail.com
Host: Michelle Myers
Producer: Myong McCloud
Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each episode, Michelle discusses difficult topics with a focus on practicing mindfulness and self-care as well as on claiming a personal space of acceptance, healing, and compassion. In this episode, Michelle addresses how the act of artistic expression, particularly through poetry, is a lifelong journey of self-reflection and personal transformation.
Below are links to articles about the topics discussed in the episode. This is not an exhaustive list and our listeners are encouraged to research these topics on their own as well:
Justice for Our Sisters and Earth Mother - Women's March 2021
“Her Blue Body Everything We Know” by Alice Walker, 1991
You can find Mind Your Margins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can email suggestions for topics or share your thoughts at mindyourmargins@gmail.com
Host: Michelle Myers
Producer: Myong McCloud
Michelle Myers draws on her experience as a professor, activist, and poet to foster a space for listeners where it’s humanly possible to make humanity possible. Each episode, Michelle discusses difficult topics with a focus on practicing mindfulness and self-care as well as on claiming a personal space of acceptance, healing, and compassion. In this Mother’s Day episode, Michelle addresses the topic of mental health and generational trauma among AAPI women through the lens of the 2022 movie, Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Below are links to articles about the topics discussed in the episode. This is not an exhaustive list and our listeners are encouraged to research these topics on their own as well:
A24 Reddit Thread, "Life Has Changed After Everything Everywhere All At Once"
NAPAWF's website, “Mental Health Among AAPI Women”
Newport Institute’s website, “The Facts About Asian American Mental Health and Suicide Rates”
Mental Health Resources:
Mango Tree Counseling and Consulting (Philadelphia Area)
Mango Tree Counseling Youtube Channel
Asian Mental Health Collective
988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
National Alliance on Mental Illness Helpline (NAMI)
You can find Mind Your Margins on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and you can email suggestions for topics or share your thoughts at mindyourmargins@gmail.com
Host: Michelle Myers
Producer: Myong McCloud
