Harry A. Lewis defines himself as “a student activist, sexual assault survivor, #BlackLivesMatter supporter, lover of all things Beyoncé.”
The sexual assault survivor, who is a huge advocate for preventing sexual assault, It’s On Us Student Advisory Committee member of President of Men’s Action Network at UD has a message for President Donald Trump’s nomination for Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos.
He penned a very passionate open letter to DeVos:
“You have donated hundreds of millions of dollars to organizations that wish to electrocute the gay out of me, as you seem to know more about how my sexuality works than I do. You have long standing ties to right-wing Christian organizations that deny basic scientific facts about the origin of the universe and the development of life on Earth. While this may not be directly about me, it does pre-suppose a link to a God that you clearly believe screwed up somewhere along the line to make me gay, thus insinuating not only that humans and dinosaurs lived side by side for a period of time but that we are all literally the product of Adam and Eve and thus my sexuality is probably some kind of defect caused by millennia of inbreeding,” the letter stated.
Read the full letter here.
DIVERGE spoke to Lewis to find out more.
What urged you to write this letter?
I wrote my letter to Ms. DeVos after reading the testimony at her Senate confirmation hearing. I was aware once she was nominated that she was neither qualified for the position of Secretary of Education nor was she committed to protecting the rights of the most vulnerable students – least of all those in public education.
One of the things that were most troubling to me was that there were very few if any students present at the confirmation hearing. The current Washington lobbying structure enables professionals, post-graduates, and other power brokers to impact policy but very rarely are the people who are actually affected by that policy – in real time – present in the room. I know there were many allies of causes I am sympathetic to who were there, but I felt it was important to share my perspective not only as someone who would be affected by many of her policies, but also as a current student.
What kind of response have you gotten from it?
I have gotten nothing but positive feedback from my piece. Having attended public school, I am committed to my educators and maintain good relationships with many of my former teachers. Just as many of them stood up for me in various ways over my K-12 career, I feel honored that in some small way I could stand up for them as well.
What do you think will happen in Trump’s presidency?
It’s honestly impossible for me to predict exactly what will happen under a Trump presidency because he has been both erratic and inconsistent in his policies and proposals. However, given the executive orders he has already signed – including ones to re-impose the global gag rule, accelerate the development of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines and freezing federal hiring – it seems like we are reverting back to many of the policies and positions of the Reagan and Bush administrations.
I certainly fear many worst case scenarios (i.e. nuclear war) but more practically speaking, I am worried that the Affordable Care Act will be repealed with no replacement, that military spending will rise at the expense of arts and public service programs, and that our environment and the rights of women and LGBT Americans will be heavily damaged.
What will cabinet members like Ms. DeVos do?
I believe that Ms. DeVos is one of the least qualified and most dangerous cabinet nominees in the Trump administration. Ms. DeVos has no experience in creating education policy outside of promoting creationist, pro-private school agendas in her sphere of influence. Ms. DeVos, to my knowledge, has never been a teacher or administrator of either a high education or K-12 school. She does not understand, as I noted in my letter, the difference between growth and proficiency. Together with Rick Perry, Ben Carson, and Rex Tillerson, Ms. DeVos would form part of the least educated and experienced cabinet in history.
It’s difficult to estimate the extent of the damage she could cause through her reckless attempts to down-size the already strained Department of Education. The OCR, which handles Title IX policy in schools and universities across the country, does not have its safety guaranteed. Survivors like myself and those entering the school system in the next four years can now longer depend on someone to protect them from those who harm them and the schools who protect their attackers. Besides the fact that I vehemently disagree with their policies, I find the ineptitude of Ms. DeVos and the other Trump nominees deeply disturbing.
What can others do to help you fight for your cause?
I would encourage others interested in helping to stop the nomination of Ms. DeVos and/or, in the case of her appointment, mitigate the damage incurred by her policies, to stay in frequent contact with their legislators both on the national and state levels. Part of the advantage of a federalist system is that many policies instituted on the national level can be countered or mitigated by state governments. We need a two-pronged approach in order to encourage our legislators to stand up for both public education and the rights of survivors.
On a more interpersonal level, it’s important for people to believe survivors and continue to support public educators. When people feel that public opinion AND the government are against them, there is little hope of making substantive progress. Change begins on a face to face scale, so those who want to get involved can start there.
