Mica Pollock
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micapollock.bsky.social
Mica Pollock
@micapollock.bsky.social
1.4K followers 770 following 110 posts
Education professor studying & improving on race/opportunity/diversity issues in K12 schools. Views my own. schooltalking.org usvshate.org
📚Colormute|Everyday Antiracism|Schooltalk|Bc of Race…
🗞️The Conflict Campaign|The Limitation Effect
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micapollock.bsky.social
Mica Pollock @micapollock.bsky.social · Nov 15
Hi, BlueSky! Zoom in to find me. I’m an education professor. I help people grapple with race/opportunity/diversity issues in K12 schools. I’ve been researching/critiquing efforts to restrict race- and diversity-related work in K12. Let's improve public schools to support every young person instead.
Reposted by Mica Pollock
gabrielmalor.bsky.social
Fed. judge holds that the Trump administration engaged in coercive and retaliatory conduct in violation of the First and Tenth Amendments in its pretextual attacks on the University of California system.

PI granted.

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Defendants do not deny any of this. Instead, their principal argument is that the UC might not agree to the proposed conditions for restoring funding, so Plaintiffs’ present case is too speculative to be heard. But Plaintiffs’ harm is already very real. With every day that passes, UCLA continues to be denied the chance to win new grants, ratchetting up Defendants’ pressure campaign. And numerous UC faculty and staff have submitted declarations describing how Defendants’ actions have already chilled speech throughout the UC system. They describe how they have stopped teaching or researching topics they are afraid are too “left” or “woke,” in order to avoid triggering further funding cancellations by Defendants. They also give examples of projects the UC has stopped due to fear of the same reprisals. These are classic, predictable First Amendment harms, and exactly what Defendants publicly said that they intended. The undisputed record demonstrates that Defendants have engaged in coercive and Case 3:25-cv-07864-RFL Document 90 Filed 11/14/25 Page 2 of 76 3 retaliatory conduct in violation of the First Amendment and Tenth Amendment. It also shows that they have flouted the requirements of Title VI and IX and cancelled funding in an arbitrary and capricious manner while ignoring required procedural safeguards. None of the jurisdictional
November 15, 2025 at 12:19 AM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
fishkin.bsky.social
A huge district court victory for the University of California.

District courts find facts. This one found "overwhelming evidence" that the Trump administration has pervasively violated the First Amendment in its efforts to coerce and intimidate the University of California.

News story here—
‘Unlawful coercion’: Trump can’t withhold funds or demand payment from UC, federal judge rules
A federal judge ruled Donald Trump cannot demand that UCLA pay a $1.2 billion settlement that would have restricted academic freedoms.
calmatters.org
November 15, 2025 at 1:41 AM
micapollock.bsky.social
This seems huge
mzinshteyn.bsky.social Mikhail Zinshteyn @mzinshteyn.bsky.social · 3d
NEW:

‘Unlawful coercion’: Trump can’t withhold funds or demand payment from UC, federal judge rules.

The judge has previously sided with UC scholars several times since June in halting Trump’s termination of science and health research funding. The latest ruling is arguably the most sweeping yet.
‘Unlawful coercion’: Trump can’t withhold funds or demand payment from UC, federal judge rules
A federal judge ruled Donald Trump cannot demand that UCLA pay a $1.2 billion settlement that would have restricted academic freedoms.
calmatters.org
November 15, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
nytimes.com
Breaking News: America’s Roman Catholic bishops issued a rare statement rebuking the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation campaign.
Catholic Bishops Rebuke Trump’s Immigration Tactics in Rare Statement
“We feel compelled now in this environment to raise our voices in defense of God-given human dignity,” they said in the statement.
nyti.ms
November 13, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
reichlinmelnick.bsky.social
NEW: @propublica.org investigated the Chicago apartment raid where kids were zip-tied and citizens detained for hours. They find:

- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
As a Black Hawk helicopter roared overhead, the slender, 28-year-old immigrant from Venezuela answered softly, his eyes darting to a television crew invited to film the raid. Next to Caicedo, masked Border Patrol agents inspected another man’s tattoos and asked him if he belonged to Tren de Aragua, the Venezuelan gang that the Trump administration has designated a terrorist group. Until that moment, Caicedo’s only interaction with law enforcement in his two-and-a-half years in the United States had been a traffic stop two weeks earlier for driving without a license or insurance, according to the records we reviewed. Chicago police had run a background check on him and found no prior arrests, no warrants and no evidence that he was in a gang. Caicedo said he had a pending asylum application, a steady job at a taco joint and a girlfriend whose daughter attended elementary school across the street. None of that mattered. The U.S. government paraded him and his neighbors in front of the cameras and called their arrests a spectacular victory against terrorism. But later, after the cameras had gone, prosecutors didn’t charge Caicedo with a crime. They didn’t accuse him of being a terrorist. And after a brief hearing in immigration court, the government sent him back to the country he had fled nine years earlier. “I lost everything,” he said in a phone interview from his mother’s home in the Venezuelan city of Valencia. “For those fools, everyone from Venezuela is a criminal.”
November 13, 2025 at 2:08 PM
micapollock.bsky.social
We should be investing in the nation’s students.
wcbyrdphd.bsky.social W. Carson Byrd @wcbyrdphd.bsky.social · 8d
‘The presence of two words — “equity” and “inclusion” — on page 50 of a 5-year-old grant application just killed a program at UC Berkeley that for half a century helped thousands of East Bay teens recognize that they could go to college and even pay for it.’
Two words in UC Berkeley grant application have led to defunding of 50-year-old program
The Trump administration canceled UC Berkeley’s Educational Talent Search — a 50-year-old program that helped thousands of East Bay teens get to college — over two words in its grant...
www.sfchronicle.com
November 9, 2025 at 6:25 PM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
protectdemocracy.org
VICTORY: Judge Ellis granted the most powerful rebuke of the Trump admin’s immigration enforcement tactics yet — a preliminary injunction to more permanently stop the violent and lawless tactics federal agents have deployed against protestors, press, and clergy in the Chicago area.
Judge Finds ICE’s Retaliatory Use of Force in Illinois Violated Civil Rights Affirms peaceful protest and journalism require utmost constitutional protection
November 6, 2025 at 6:47 PM
micapollock.bsky.social
This was our first ever sticker winner in Spring 2018, made by 5 10th graders in Chula Vista, CA after a lesson from our list on “Learning about Refugees through Art.” What do youth want to say today, in any media? Invite them to say it by February 27, this year’s deadline. Submit at USvsHate.org.
October 25, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
penamerica.bsky.social
A federal judge in the Eastern District Court of Virginia today ordered the Department of Defense to restore all books banned in five schools at U.S. military installations, a ruling PEN America called a victory for the freedom to read. pen.org/press-releas...
A Victory for the Freedom to Read, as Judge Orders Banned Books Returned to Shelves in U.S.. Military Schools
A federal judge in the Eastern District Court of Virginia today ordered the Department of Defense to restore all books banned in five schools at U.S. military installations, a ruling PEN America calle...
pen.org
October 21, 2025 at 9:20 PM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
lizneeley.bsky.social
Solidarity!! Last week, Indiana University fired the director of student media & halted print on the Indiana Daily Student newspaper. Yesterday, Purdue’s student paper printed the banned edition & drove two hours to deliver it. Incredible www.heraldtimesonline.com/story/news/l...
Purdue student journalists deliver special 'solidarity' newspaper to IU Bloomington campus
The special edition blasted across town features columns from IDS and Exponent editors, alongside QR codes to support both student papers.
www.heraldtimesonline.com
October 18, 2025 at 7:32 PM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
drsturg.bsky.social
Class is in session.

Fun fact about disinformation: In order to change actions, you don't always have to convince someone something is wrong. You might just have to convince someone that something might not be right.

The friction of uncertainty can stop someone in their tracks.
September 30, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
frankstrong.bsky.social
I need help getting this CRAZY censorship story out!

Last week, admins in Leander ISD emailed teachers telling them to “pause” use of 40 books relating to “DEI” that had previously been curriculum or choice reading activities.

Included on the list? To Kill a Mockingbird. #bookbans #booksky
Email to 6th-grade teachers in Leander ISD that reads: Dear 6th Grade ELA Team, I want to share an Important update regarding some of the texts in our book club and whole-class reading collections. In response to new legislation outlined in Senate Bill 12 (89th Legislature), we have conducted a review of titles currently used in secondary ELA instruction. Because SB 12 prohibits specific types of content, several of our resources now require additional review. Effective immediately, please pause the use of the identified texts (linked below) in instruction and assignments until further notice. This step is necessary to ensure our curriculum remains in full compliance with the law. I want to emphasize that these books are not being permanently removed. They are simply on hold while we seek additional guidance from TASB and TEA regarding the implications of SB 12 for instructional resources. Once we receive that guidance, we will provide clear updates about next steps. Additionally, if these books are included in your own personal classroom library, we request that you remove them since personal classroom libraries are considered instructional resources. I know this timing is far from ideal and may present challenges, especially given the thoughtful preparation you have invested in building engaging reading experiences for students. Please know that our commitment to offering students a wide range of meaningful opportunities for choice reading and discussion remains unchanged. Thank you for your flexibility, professionalism, and continued dedication to our students as we navigate this process together. 6th grade ELAR Resources With appreciation, List of 40 books removed from classes. Includes To Kill a Mockingbird, The House on Mango Street, The Fire Next Time, The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and, weirdly, Les Miserables.
September 25, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
usvshate.bsky.social
We've worked for a long time on our definition of "hate" and our call for "anti-hate" messaging in #USvsHate.

See what you think at USvsHate.org/about/. Then encourage youth you know to submit their take by February 27, this year's single deadline. Join us!
September 24, 2025 at 5:58 PM
micapollock.bsky.social
The article lists grants “quietly” canceled. I think it’s crucial to not simply let grants supporting K12 get canceled in silence. So, while it’s painful to read each of these, I think it’s crucial to know about them & to spread the word on education opportunities being taken from young people.
edweek.org Education Week @edweek.org · Sep 17
The Trump administration has canceled millions of dollars in grants for several dozen ongoing projects promoting civics, arts, literacy education, and preparing K-12 students for college.
Trump Admin. Cancels Dozens More Grants, Hitting Civics, Arts, and Higher Ed.
The multi-year initiatives are abruptly losing funding midway through their grant periods.
www.edweek.org
September 18, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
propublica.org
NEW: Federal funding for organizations that help students with hearing and vision loss across eight states will stop at the end of the month, according to letters sent by a top Education Dept. official and obtained by ProPublica.

By @jodiscohen.bsky.social @jsmithrichards.bsky.social
Programs for Students With Hearing and Vision Loss Harmed by Trump’s Anti-Diversity Push
Citing concerns about DEI, the U.S. Department of Education has halted funding for programs that support students with combined hearing and vision loss in eight states. “How low can you go?” one advoc...
www.propublica.org
September 10, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
aaup.org
BOOM💥💥💥
veenadubal.bsky.social Veena Dubal @veenadubal.bsky.social · Sep 3
AAUP-HARVARD, AAUP, & UAW WON THE HARVARD CASE!!!!

storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
September 3, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
melodyschreiber.com
Demetre Daskalakis was a key figure in the Covid, mpox, and bird flu responses. This is a huge loss.
donmoyn.bsky.social Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · Aug 28
Full resignation letter from Demetre C. Daskalakis, a CDC leader, does not hold back.
"The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud."
My resignation letter from CDC. Dear Dr. Houry, I am writing to formally resign from my position as Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), effective August 28, 2025, close of business. I am happy to stay on for two weeks to provide transition, if requested. This decision has not come easily, as I deeply value the work that the CDC does in safeguarding public health and am proud of my contributions to that critical mission. However, after much contemplation and reflection on recent developments and perspectives brought to light by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., I find that the views he and his staff have shared challenge my ability to continue in my current role at the agency and in the service of the health of the American people. Enough is enough. While I hold immense respect for the institution and my colleagues, I believe that it is imperative to align my professional responsibilities to my system of ethics and my understanding of the science of infectious disease, immunology, and my promise to serve the American people. This step is necessary to ensure that I can contribute effectively in a capacity that allows me to remain true to my principles. The recent change in the adult and children’s immunization schedule threaten the lives of the youngest Americans and pregnant people. The data analyses that supported this decision have never been shared with CDC despite my respectful requests to HHS and other leadership. This lack of meaningful engagement was further compounded by a “frequently asked questions” document written to support the Secretary’s directive that was circulated by HHS without input from CDC subject matter experts and that cited studies that did not support the conclusions that were attributed to these authors. Having worked in local and national public health for years, I have never experienced such radical non-transparency, nor have I seen such unskilled manipulation of data to achieve a political end rather than the good of the American people. It is untenable to serve in an organization that is not afforded the opportunity to discuss decisions of scientific and public health importance released under the moniker of CDC. The lack of communication by HHS and other CDC political leadership that culminates in social media posts announcing major policy changes without prior notice demonstrate a disregard of normal communication channels and common sense. Having to retrofit analyses and policy actions to match inadequately thought-out announcements in poorly scripted videos or page long X posts should not be how organizations responsible for the health of people should function. Some examples include the announcement of the change in the COVID-19 recommendations for children and pregnant people, the firing of scientists from ACIP by X post and an op-ed rather than direct communication with these valuable experts, the announcement of new ACIP members by X before onboarding and vetting have completed, and the release of term of reference for an ACIP workgroup that ignored all feedback from career staff at CDC. Their desire to please a political base will result in death and disability of vulnerable children and adults. Their base should be the people they serve not a political voting bloc. I have always been first to challenge scientific and public health dogma in my career and was excited by the opportunity to do so again. I was optimistic that there would be an opportunity to brief the Secretary about key topics such as measles, avian influenza, and the highly coordinated approach to the respiratory virus season. Such briefings would allow exchange of ideas and a shared path to support the vision of “Making America Healthy Again.” We are seven months into the new administration, and no CDC subject matter expert from my Center has ever briefed the Secretary. I am not sure who the Secretary is listening to, but it is quite certainly not to us. Unvetted and conflicted outside organizations seem to be the sources HHS use over the gold standard science of CDC and other reputable sources. At a hearing, Secretary Kennedy said that Americans should not take medical advice from him. To the contrary, an appropriately briefed and inquisitive Secretary should be a source of health information for the people he serves. As it stands now, I must agree with him, that he should not be considered a source of accurate information. The intentional eroding of trust in low-risk vaccines favoring natural infection and unproven remedies will bring us to a pre-vaccine era where only the strong will survive and many if not all will suffer. I believe in nutrition and exercise. I believe in making our food supply healthier, and I also believe in using vaccines to prevent death and disability. Eugenics plays prominently in the rhetoric being generated and is derivative of a legacy that good medicine and science should continue to shun. The recent shooting at CDC is not why I am resigning. My grandfather, who I am named after, stood up to fascist forces in Greece and lost his life doing so. I am resigning to make him and his legacy proud. I am resigning because of the cowardice of a leader that cannot admit that HIS and his minions’ words over decades created an environment where violence like this can occur. I reject his and his colleagues’ thoughts and prayers, and advise they direct those to people that they have not actively harmed. For decades, I have been a trusted voice for the LGBTQ community when it comes to critical health topics. I must also cite the recklessness of the administration in their efforts to erase transgender populations, cease critical domestic and international HIV programming, and terminate key research to support equity as part of my decision. Public health is not merely about the health of the individual, but it is about the health of the community, the nation, the world. The nation’s health security is at risk and is in the hands of people focusing on ideological self-interest. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for the opportunities for growth, learning, and collaboration that I have been afforded during my time at the CDC. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are committed to improving the health and well-being of communities across the nation even when under attack from within both physically and psychologically. Thank you once again for the support and guidance I have received from you and previous CDC leadership throughout my tenure. I wish the CDC continued success in its vital mission and that HHS reverse its dangerous course to dismantle public health as a practice and as an institution. If they continue the current path, they risk our personal well-being and the security of the United States.
August 28, 2025 at 1:45 AM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
gbbranstetter.bsky.social
Im going to cry there was a line of teachers with signs that said "You've got this" outside my metro station cheering every kid when they got off the escalator 😭
gbbranstetter.bsky.social Gillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · Aug 25
As a new school year starts, Trump is terrifying the children of the District, thousands of whom rely on public transit to get to school and will now be greeted by a coterie of federal agents and armed soldiers who know nothing of their lives or their communities
For some in D.C., first day of school to look different under Trump crackdown
As President Donald Trump sends more federal forces to D.C. to fight crime, some residents worry about the impact on students and staff as school resumes.
wapo.st
August 25, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
jamuseum.bsky.social
We are outraged and deeply distressed that armed federal agents came onto our campus—making arrests on the very ground where, in 1942, Japanese American families were forced to board buses bound for concentration camps. It was a deliberate act of provocation and intimidation.
Photo of armed customs and border patrol agents and cars on the plaza in front of the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo.
August 18, 2025 at 4:37 PM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
atrupar.com
REPORTER: President Putin, will you stop killing civilians?

PUTIN: *taps ear*
August 15, 2025 at 7:14 PM
micapollock.bsky.social
sites.google.com/view/jewsforuc "We, Jewish members of the University of California community, express our shock at the Trump Administration’s threatened imposition of a $1 billion fine against UCLA in the name of protecting Jews... we stand together now in defense of the University of California."
Sign in - Google Accounts
sites.google.com
August 15, 2025 at 4:52 PM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
sifill.bsky.social
Reposted w/correct numbers!

Whatever you’ve been doing, STOP & LISTEN (read). This is happening on our soil in our name paid for with our tax dollars.
Every one of us should call our House members & Senators. 202-224-3121
And flood the call lines to Gov. DeSantis’ office: 850-717-9337
August 10, 2025 at 3:04 PM
micapollock.bsky.social
The federal government’s $1B demand would devastate the nation’s top public research university system, take tax dollars and education access from the state’s students, cut off life-saving care, and halt tech and economic growth. #StandUpForUC bit.ly/standuc
Stand Up for UC
We must stand together to protect our students, staff, faculty and our mission.
bit.ly
August 11, 2025 at 5:34 AM
micapollock.bsky.social
“On July 31, 2025, the Trump administration suspended roughly eight hundred federal research grants to UCLA scholars totaling over $339 million. The UCLA Faculty Association has responded to this malicious attack by circulating this open letter.” Sign and circulate.

tinyurl.com/ucstandup
Home
Please forward this letter widely at https://tinyurl.com/ucstandup
tinyurl.com
August 6, 2025 at 3:32 AM
Reposted by Mica Pollock
dynarski.bsky.social
Statement from the largest economics association about the BLS firing

As context: AEA approximately never makes such public statements

This is a big deal
August 1, 2025 AMERICAN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION Committee on Economic Statistics and Committee on Government Relations Statement from the American Economic Association on the Dismissal of the BLS Commissioner Leaders of the American Economic Association express their grave concern over the dismissal of the Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) earlier today. The independence of the federal statistical agencies is essential to the proper functioning of a modern economy. Accurate, timely, and impartial statistics are the foundation upon which households, businesses, and policymakers make critical decisions. Undermining the independence or credibility of these agencies threatens the integrity of the information that markets, institutions, and the public rely on every day. Measuring the vast and dynamic U.S. economy in real time is inherently challenging. It is standard practice for statistical estimates to be revised as more complete and higher-quality data become available. These revisions reflect the commitment of statistical agencies to accuracy, transparency, and methodological rigor-not failure or bias. The BLS has long had a well-deserved reputation for professional excellence and nonpartisan integrity. Safeguarding this tradition is vital for the continued health of the U.S. economy and public trust in our institutions. We call upon elected officials to respect and preserve the independence of the nation's statistical infrastructure. Lawrence Katz President, American Economic Association Katharine Abraham President-Elect, American Economic Association Karen Dynan Chair, American Economic Association Committee on Economic Statistics Kenneth Troske Chair, American Economic Association Committee on Government Relations
August 2, 2025 at 8:13 PM