It was just before 10 p.m. as I fumbled for my car key in the university parking garage after teaching a late evening class. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a man on an electric skateboard wearing a ghostface mask, cruising rapidly toward me. I reminded myself it was weeks before Halloween, but I was scared. Was he one of them?
As I got into my car, he passed within inches of my driver-side window and then carried on. I sighed with relief. Normally, this wouldn’t phase me. I’ve run into all kinds of innocuous student activity in the parking garage at night, from dance groups practicing routines to musical recordings in the superb garage acoustics. So why was this time different?
I am a humble professor of science education at a state public university. Just four days prior, I had received a message from my dean, asking me to check my email urgently and to let her know if I’d received any threats. I panicked, threats? Directed at me?
I – and my work and my words – had become the target of Sen. Ted Cruz.
The Texas Republican called me out by name and institution as part of his official U.S. Senate committee work, falsely labeling me as a radical “DEI activist” for my research and teaching in science education. I was unsuspectedly centered in an unwarranted attack on the Biden-Harris administration and the National Science Foundation, a major non-partisan supporter of STEM research, using false claims and citing my work as an example.
This was a clear attempt to politicize my work and throw me as red-meat to his far-right base, who are easily triggered by anything claimed to be DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion)-adjacent, a buzzword that means nothing, and everything, to Cruz’s supporters.
The real issue of course is not me. His senate race is shockingly close, and Cruz is scrambling to save his seat. This has him grasping for a lifeline, happy to disparage anyone, even putting average Americans like me in harm’s way, to stoke his base through tired and false claims about DEI and anti-trans hate. It’s cowardly and dangerous.
I was shocked, and to be honest, petrified. Would his base come after me?
I’m sharing my story prior to the election because I will not let Cruz’s attempts to use me for his bad faith purposes go unanswered. Further, I want voters to have this information when they enter the ballot box. Whether or not you have heard my press release headline, you certainly have heard a Republican-fueled story about “liberal DEI activism.” The story about me is not true. And from a scientific literacy perspective, I encourage you to ask: Are the stories you heard true? What is the evidence?
I am an average American citizen, a white woman, mother, surfer (ok maybe that’s not average), who works at a state public university.
I seek to provide equitable access and opportunity in science education for racially, linguistically, and socioeconomically diverse student populations because there are persistent and pervasive issues in K-12 schools across the U.S. in terms of who is seen and supported as a science-type person.
To do this, I prepare future middle and high school science teachers to meet the needs of diverse student populations because I believe that gaining the knowledge and skills to become a scientifically literate citizen is a basic and vital civil right. I know, radical.
I lead a climate justice project, grounded in the evidence-based science of climate change, in which teachers and students explore issues of extreme and urban heat, the phenomenon where urban areas are hotter than suburban areas due to an abundance of heat absorbing materials and (lack of trees/greenspace) in their communities. Middle and high school students collect temperature data, use mapping tools, and talk with community members.
This is not political. It’s fact-based and fair.
Because the truth is, climate-related issues like heat do not impact everyone equally in Texas or anywhere in the U.S. Low-income and communities of color experience the greatest effects of environmental and climate change-related impacts in every state in the nation. What’s more, while often not discussed, heat is the number one climate-related killer in the U.S.
Where does Ted Cruz stand on climate protections and sustainability? Remember, this is the man who escaped to Mexico (while continually disparaging immigrants from Mexico) when his constituents needed him during a deadly freeze. Unsurprisingly, his national environmental voting scorecard shows he voted in favor of laws to protect Texans against environmental and climate-related harms only 6% of the time in 2023 and only 3% of the time over his tenure, always favoring big oil and polluting industries above the needs and lives of people.
Further, I have written about heat safety measures for outdoor workers as a human right. Yet, Texas and Florida recently passed a law prohibiting the creation of basic heat protections like access to shade, fresh drinking water, and breaks for workers in construction, agriculture, and beyond saying that it would be too costly for industry. Saving human lives might cost too much?
I have family and friends in Texas, Florida and other Republican strongholds enough to wonder, are these states actually so red? Climate change doesn’t care about political party affiliation, your race or ethnicity, if you’re wealthy or poor. But not everyone experiences the same access to climate protection based purely on demographics, just as not all students experience the same opportunities in science education. This is what my work stands for!
You deserve a representative who prioritizes your needs above big industry, someone willing to protect your lives and livelihoods above profits as climate change-related natural disasters including flooding, hurricanes, and extreme heat only intensify. Ted Cruz and other anti-public education, climate-denying GOP candidates are not those politicians.
I believe the rich diversity of Americans is our nation’s greatest strength, that the commonalities that unite us far outweigh the things we perceive to divide us. I believe we all deserve access to high quality science education and safe living environments.
This is what my work strives to achieve. Because this is where the hope lives, dignity thrives, and where the future can take us, if we fight for it.
Your vote is your voice. Use it.
