Project 2025’s educational blueprint enshrines racial essentialism and white Christian nationalist ideology—presenting “merit,” “neutrality,” and Protestant heritage as immutable benchmarks for belonging (Perry & Grubbs, 2025). This critical assessment of Project 2025’s educational agenda reveals its reliance on racial essentialism and white Christian nationalist ideology to centralize epistemic authority and suppress dissenting perspectives. By mandating the elimination of DEI offices, rescinding Title IX investigations, and defunding ethnic‐studies programs, its architects seek to impose a mono‐theological, pseudo‐scientific hierarchy on knowledge itself (Perera et al., 2024). This framework mirrors classic fascist curricula, which likewise weaponized biology, false narratives and religion to legitimize state power and suppress dissent (Casey, 2024).

White Christian nationalism amplifies racial essentialism by equating American identity exclusively with white Protestant traditions. Perry and Grubbs (2025) characterize it as an ethno-traditionalist movement that seeks to “protect the freedoms of a very narrowly defined ‘us’” while subordinating the “other” (p. 7). Project 2025’s proposals—to dismantle the Department of Education, end Title IX investigations, and require faith-based vetting in hiring—demonstrate this merger of religious dogma and racial hierarchy (Casey, 2024; Interfaith Alliance, 2025). Framed as a restoration of “universal values,” these measures instead impose a singular national narrative that erases the plural histories and ongoing struggles of Black, Brown, Indigenous, and non-Christian communities.

These policies have already hit both elite research universities and HBCUs hard. In 2025, the Trump-era Antisemitism Task Force froze $2.3 billion in federal research funds to Harvard after the university refused to cede curricular control and its DEI initiatives were deemed insufficiently “neutral” (Kumar, 2025). Columbia faced a $400 million funding pause under similar charges of “ideological capture” in its social-justice courses (Cochran, 2025). Meanwhile, Historically Black Colleges and Universities—heavily reliant on federal appropriations—now confront the very real threat of budget cuts if they continue operating the ethnic-studies and DEI programs that their students of color depend on (Casey, 2024; Perera et al., 2024).

Countering this ideological assault demands an affirmative pedagogy that explicitly repudiates essentialism and white Christian nationalism. By integrating Critical Race Deconstruction with Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, educators can reveal how “neutral” standards function as coded mechanisms of exclusion, deconstruct monolithic identity myths, and re‐center marginalized voices within accredited curricula (Salajan & Jules, 2024). Restoring DEI and ethnic‐studies departments, preserving diverse library collections, and defending faculty autonomy are thus not mere defensive tactics but proactive bulwarks against the monopolization of truth and the erosion of critical and democratic inquiry.

References

Casey, M. (2024). Project 2025: A blueprint for Christian nationalist regime change. The Fulcrum. https://thefulcrum.us/governance-legislation/project-2025-christian-nationalism-23890694

Cochran, A. (2025). Columbia funding paused: Ideological capture and academic freedom.

Kumar, R. (2025). Federal funding freezes for Harvard: Assessing claims of ideological bias. Journal of Higher Education Policy, 12(1), 45–62.

Perera, H., Anderson, M., & Johnson, L. (2024). The education chapter of Mandate for Leadership 2025: Epistemic control and policy design. Heritage Foundation.

Perry, S. L., & Grubbs, J. B. (2025). Religion of White identity politics: Christian nationalism and White racial solidarity. Social Forces. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soaf031

Salajan, F., & Jules, J. (2024). Transformative pedagogy against authoritarian curricula: Critical Race Deconstruction and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy. Journal of Educational Equity, 8(2), 112–135.

Plan/Book Your ATEP Adventure in 6 Transformative Steps

Embark on an ATEP journey that fuses innovation with equity, empowering learners and educators to dismantle biases and co-create inclusive curricula. Follow these six steps to bring your next interdisciplinary experience to life.

1. Define Your Equitable Vision
   • Articulate clear learning goals rooted in ATEP’s mission to challenge systemic bias and center self-realization for students of color.
   • Align those goals with institutional standards (GE outcomes, LEAP ELOs, CAEP/discipline accreditations).
2. Curate Authentic, Decolonial Content
   • Select videos, texts, and primary sources that expose overlooked narratives and debunk racial myths of White supremacy and Black inferiority.
   • Ensure materials reflect diverse voices and honor the lived experiences of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities.
3. Integrate Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) and Critical Race Deconstruction (CRD)
   • Embed CRP practices by validating students’ cultural knowledge and fostering critical consciousness.
   • Apply CRD methods to unpack hidden power structures in language, policies, and “neutral” standards that mask systemic racism and psychological control of persons of Color.
4. Design Interdisciplinary Modules
   • Weave together anthropology, genetics, history, literature, and CRT into coherent units that build on one another.
   • Sequence activities—reflections, collaborative research, multimedia projects—to scaffold inquiry and self-realization.
5. Collaborate and Co-Create with Stakeholders
   • Partner with faculty, community elders, and student leaders to co-develop lesson plans and assessments.
   • Host feedback sessions and pilot workshops to refine content, ensuring cultural relevance and academic rigor while reframing the narrative.
6. Pilot, Reflect, and Iterate for Lasting Impact
   • Launch your modules in a small cohort, collect qualitative and quantitative feedback on student engagement and outcomes.
   • Use reflections to revise materials, strengthen equity-driven assessments, and scale up your curriculum across programs embracing multicultural diversity and historical achievements.

By following these six steps, you’ll “book” an ATEP adventure that not only meets rigorous standards but also catalyzes self-realization, cultural affirmation, and genuine educational transformation.

Why Reach Out to ATEP

1. Expert Curriculum Consultation
   Tap into our deep expertise in decolonial and anti-racist curriculum design to transform your courses.
2. Tailored Professional Development
   Access workshops and coaching on Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP) and Critical Race Deconstruction (CRD) to elevate instructional practices.
3. Authentic, Decolonial Content Library
   Leverage our curated collection of videos, texts, and interactive tools that center marginalized narratives and challenge bias.
4. Interdisciplinary Module Design
   Collaborate with our team to weave anthropology, history, philosophy, literature and CRT into coherent, self-realization–driven learning experiences.
5. Accreditation, Standards Alignment, and Assessment Support
   Ensure your programs meet regional accreditation, Common Core/LEAP outcomes, and discipline-specific benchmarks, while designing formative and summative assessments that measure both academic mastery and equity-centered outcomes.
6. Community and Network Building
   Join a vibrant coalition of educators, scholars, and community leaders dedicated to equity and collective impact.
7. Learning the Art of Critical Thinking and Deconstructing Systemic Biases
   Develop students’ capacity to analyze power structures, question dominant narratives, and cultivate transformative inquiry.
8. Personalized Tutorials for Targeted Skill Development
   Provide one-on-one guidance to address individual learning gaps, reinforce key concepts, and mentor students through interdisciplinary projects that advance their self-realization, while exposing the origins of race as a false social construct.