A Personal History of the Fight in the LBC

In 2019, I had the privilege of standing on the stage of the First Congregational Church of Long Beach—the oldest church in our city, founded by Margaret and Jotham Bixby, two of the founders of Long Beach, California. I was acting the role of Sojourner Truth in a performance of Suffrage! A History In Word And Song. We were celebrating the centennial of the 19th Amendment, and the energy was electric. You can see a clip of my performance here.

The Suffrage! celebration continues in Long Beach, California. On the 27th of February the Long Beach chapter of AAUW, American Association of University Women, is inviting the public on a paid suffragist bus tour of Long Beach. It will be a narrated bus tour of my town showing where early suffragists lived and strategized. The tickets cost $25 per person. The tour starts at 10am sharp and ends at 2pm. You can listen to my podcast episode above for more details about the bus tour and how to get tickets.

For those of you listening in Seattle, Chicago, or Atlanta—don’t think this is just a local story. I am using my hometown as the “canary in the coal mine.” Because what was hard-won in 1920 is being systematically dismantled in 2026 through a “regressive” playbook that is coming for your city as well.

The Knowledge Gap: Why Our Granddaughters Need This

In 2026, I am looking at a political landscape where those hard-won rights are being strategically eroded. We are living in a moment of blithe acceptance by young women and by girls. It’s called the “Accepted and Unnoticed Effect”. A study by the National Women’s History Alliance noted that dramatic social and legal changes (like the right to have a bank account or own property) are now so deeply accepted that they “go unnoticed by people whose lives they have utterly changed,” leading to a “blithe acceptance” of rights that took seven generations to win.

Even in “good” schools, women’s history is being glossed over to make room for AP testing standards. In the study "Rewriting Herstory: Proposing an AP U.S. Women's History Course" it was revealed that many young women feel women's history is often "glossed over" in high school to focus on testing standards. Most concerning is a March 2025 report found that 47% of Gen Z women believe women already have equal opportunities in the U.S. This “misconception that gender equality has already been achieved” can lead to a lack of urgency regarding the fight for equality.

This lack of urgency is exactly what the right wing is counting on as they implement a “regressive” blueprint to roll back women’s roles to a pre-1950s level.

The Blueprint: How Project 2025 Became Policy

We’ve all seen the clips. We saw Donald Trump deny any connection to Project 2025 on the campaign trail. Despite denying it on Truth Social and during the September 2024 debate, the current administration has filled the “nerve center” of government with Project 2025 architects like Russ Vought, Brendan Carr, Tom Homan, John Ratcliffe and Stephen Miller. Not to mention the Project 2025 affiliated members of Congress like Speaker of The House Mike Johnson.

The vision of these groups, led ideologically by Christian Nationalists figures like Doug Wilson, explicitly states they want to make the United States into a “Christian Republic” and “biblical patriarchy” where women focus on domestic life and men lead the public square. This is reflected in the Project 2025 emphasis on a “biblically based, social science–reinforced definition of marriage and family.” These “theo bros” aren’t hiding the plan.

• The Franchise: Figures in the Trump orbit like John McEntee and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth openly floating or amplifying calls for repealing the 19th Amendment.

• The “Manhattan Project”: A January 2026 Heritage Foundation paper calls for a “Manhattan Project” to restore the nuclear family by “disincentivizing” prolonged education for women.

  (I talk about this both in detail in the podcast episode linked above)

The Trump administration has adopted the Lindsey Burke mandate from the Heritage Foundation’s “Mandate for Leadership” almost in its entirety.

Burke’s philosophy is simple and chilling: she views higher education for women as “fertility-depressing.” To counter this Burke put forth a series of policy suggestions in Project 2025 that all centered on presenting obstacles to women attaining higher education. The Trump Administration adopted these policy suggestions into law in the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBBA) in July 2025.

The Declassification of Women’s Work

Under the OBBBA, the Department of Education reclassified graduate degrees. Fields like Law, Medicine, and Dentistry—historically male-dominated—retained their “Professional” status with loan limits of $50,000 per year.

However, fields like Nursing (85% female), Social Work (83% female), and Education (77% female) were “snubbed.” They were declassified to standard “Graduate” status, capping federal loans at just $20,500 per year and a lifetime limit of $100,000. By pricing women out of the advanced degrees required for clinical practice, the administration is “nudging” a generation away from the workforce and back into what they call the “married-fertility window.”

The Undoing of College Financial Aid

The OBBBA instructs the Department of Education to eliminate the SAVE, PAYE, and ICR (Income-Contingent Repayment) plans by July 1, 2028 just like Burke advised.

The “Repayment Assistance Plan” (RAP) is “reformed”. Starting July 1, 2026, the only income-driven option for new borrowers will be the RAP. Unlike current plans, even the poorest borrowers must pay a minimum of $10/month, and forgiveness only happens after 30 years (up from 20-25 years).

The OBBBA weaponises PSLF. While the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program still exists on paper, the administration has issued a new rule (effective July 1, 2026) that allows the Department of Education to disqualify non-profit employers from the program if they engage in activities the administration deems “illegal”—specifically citing organizations that advocate for immigrants or gender-affirming care - two other policy areas on which Project 2025 sets its Christian Nationalists sites.

The Childcare Freeze: Engineering a “Great Exit”

On January 1, 2026, the administration expanded a nationwide childcare funding freeze. By freezing $10 billion in federal vouchers under the guise of “fraud prevention,” they have paralyzed 339,000 working families across the country. (In the podcast episode linked above I go into detail about the false narrative the Trump Administration put forth to justify the freeze)

Without these vouchers, local providers—most of whom are women-owned small businesses—simply cannot keep their doors open. When the childcare disappears, the mothers are the ones forced to leave their jobs. KPMG calls this the “Great Exit,” and it is exactly what the architects of the OBBBA intended.

The Domino Effect: How My Hometown, Long Beach, Suffers

The “receipts” for my home town, Long Beach, California, are chilling. I’m sure the impacts aren’t going to be so great where you, Dear Reader, live either, but look at the the negative impacts in Long Beach, California:

1. The CSULB Career Blockade

At Cal State Long Beach (CSULB), over 70% of students rely on financial aid. With nursing and education degrees now capped at $100k, our local students are facing a financial wall.

The VA Shortage: Fewer students graduating from CSULB means a direct staff shortage at the Tibor Rubin VA Medical Center and MemorialCare Long Beach. We aren’t just losing degrees; we are losing the people who care for our veterans.

2. The “Citizenship Trap” for Non-Profits

New OBBBA rules target non-profits that “aid” immigrants. In a city as diverse as Long Beach, if a CSULB grad takes a job at St. Mary Medical Center or The LGBTQ Center Long Beach, they could be disqualified from Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). It is a financial “trap” designed to drain our most talented residents away from the institutions that serve our most vulnerable.

3. The Childcare Collapse

Long Beach has 280 licensed childcare providers, many in North and West Long Beach. These providers rely on federal vouchers for up to 60% of their revenue. Because of the 2026 freeze, we are looking at a permanent closure of 30% of our home-based day cares within the next 60 days.

Get On The Bus!

To the Long Beach contingent of the GGM audience: I am urging you to join the AAUW Long Beach Suffragist History Bus Tour on February 27, 2026.

Take your daughters. Take your granddaughters. Show them exactly where women like C. Laurabel Thompson organized right here in our neighborhoods when they had zero legal agency. We need to turn “blithe acceptance” into “fired-up awareness.”

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In the Youtube video description there is a link to an outline that gives the URLs for all the studies, articles,videos and legislation discussed in this episode.

If you’ve been following the news, you know that public education is under a microscope right now. Alison and I have been talking a lot about the attacks on the Department of Education, but headlines only tell you so much.

Sometimes, you need to get the story from the women on the ground.

Recently, I attended an Education Forum at the First Congregational Church of Long Beach featuring Dr. Tiffany Brown, the Deputy Superintendent of the Long Beach Unified School District. While Dr. Brown’s presentation on equity and inclusion was inspiring, I wanted to dig deeper. I wanted to know if the “administrator view” matched the reality in the classrooms and courtrooms.

So, I grabbed two of my dearest friends—who happen to be heavy hitters in the world of special education—to break it down for the Girls Gone Menopause crew.

Meet the Experts:

• Lara DeFeo: An Early Childhood Special Education teacher with 32 years of experience working with children ranging from mild speech delays to significant autism spectrum disorder.

• Jenn Kroptke: A Special Education attorney who advocates for parents trying to navigate the often-confusing legal landscape of public schools.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from our “real talk” session that every parent (and voter) needs to know.

1. The “Cadillac” vs. The “Chevy”

If you are a parent fighting for an IEP (Individualized Education Program), you want the absolute best for your child. But here is the hard truth Jenn dropped on us: Schools are not legally required to give your child the “best” education.

As Jenn explained, “School districts don’t have an obligation to provide something that’s the best. They have an obligation to provide an appropriate education”.

Lara backed this up with an analogy that is used often in her field: “We will provide that child the car, not necessarily a Cadillac”.

This distinction is crucial. When you sit in those meetings, you aren’t arguing for the luxury package; you are arguing for the vehicle that will get your child from point A to point B. Understanding this legal standard can change how you advocate—shifting from demanding “the best” to proving that what is currently offered isn’t “appropriate” or effective.

2. The Intimidation Factor is Real

Dr. Brown spoke beautifully about the district being an “ally” to parents. But Jenn pointed out that by the time parents hire her, that allyship has usually crumbled.

Imagine walking into a conference room. On one side, it’s just you (and maybe your partner). On the other side? A school psychologist, a speech pathologist, an occupational therapist, a general ed teacher, a special ed teacher, and an administrator.

It is 8 vs. 1.

“It’s a room with parents kind of over here and the district all over here,” Jenn said. “It’s a very intimidating way to try to work... collaboratively”.

Lara added that the key to breaking this tension is early communication. Teachers and parents need to talk before the scary meeting happens. “It’s not kind or right to blind send somebody in a meeting like that,” Lara said.

3. Why Vouchers Are a Trap for Special Needs Families

We also touched on the hot-button issue of school vouchers. While some frame vouchers as “school choice,” Lara gave a terrifying perspective on what they mean for special education.

“Vouchers terrify me,” Lara said. “Because vouchers don’t provide any protection for special education students”.

Here is the reality: Private and charter schools can choose their students. They are not required to admit students with significant disabilities, nor are they required to hire qualified special education teachers to support them. If a student with special needs struggles in a private school, the school can simply expel them or suggest they leave.

Public education—for all its flaws—is mandated to serve every child. It is a class changer. As I said during the podcast, “Public schools have to work for Black children, or my community goes... down the toilet”.

The Bottom Line

We are living in a time where the oversight of the Department of Education is threatened. As Lara reminded us, without that federal oversight (like the Office for Civil Rights), there is no one to hold districts accountable when they cut corners.

Public education is a fight worth having. Whether you are a parent of a neurodivergent child or just someone who believes in equity, we have to stay informed and vigilant.

Want to hear the full conversation?

Check out the latest episode of Girls Gone Menopause on our YouTube channel to hear more from Jenn and Lara about the “Black Excellence” plan, the impact of budget cuts, and why teachers are the best (but most exhausted) solution we have.

Subscribe now

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If you’ve been following the news, you know that public education is under a microscope right now. Alison and I have been talking a lot about the attacks on the Department of Education, but headlines only tell you so much.

Sometimes, you need to get the story from the women on the ground.

Recently, I attended an Education Forum at the First Congregational Church of Long Beach featuring Dr. Tiffany Brown, the Deputy Superintendent of the Long Beach Unified School District. While Dr. Brown’s presentation on equity and inclusion was inspiring, I wanted to dig deeper. I wanted to know if the “administrator view” matched the reality in the classrooms and courtrooms.

So, I grabbed two of my dearest friends—who happen to be heavy hitters in the world of special education—to break it down for the Girls Gone Menopause crew.

Meet the Experts:

• Lara DeFeo: An Early Childhood Special Education teacher with 32 years of experience working with children ranging from mild speech delays to significant autism spectrum disorder.

• Jenn Kroptke: A Special Education attorney who advocates for parents trying to navigate the often-confusing legal landscape of public schools.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from our “real talk” session that every parent (and voter) needs to know.

1. The “Cadillac” vs. The “Chevy”

If you are a parent fighting for an IEP (Individualized Education Program), you want the absolute best for your child. But here is the hard truth Jenn dropped on us: Schools are not legally required to give your child the “best” education.

As Jenn explained, “School districts don’t have an obligation to provide something that’s the best. They have an obligation to provide an appropriate education”.

Lara backed this up with an analogy that is used often in her field: “We will provide that child the car, not necessarily a Cadillac”.

This distinction is crucial. When you sit in those meetings, you aren’t arguing for the luxury package; you are arguing for the vehicle that will get your child from point A to point B. Understanding this legal standard can change how you advocate—shifting from demanding “the best” to proving that what is currently offered isn’t “appropriate” or effective.

2. The Intimidation Factor is Real

Dr. Brown spoke beautifully about the district being an “ally” to parents. But Jenn pointed out that by the time parents hire her, that allyship has usually crumbled.

Imagine walking into a conference room. On one side, it’s just you (and maybe your partner). On the other side? A school psychologist, a speech pathologist, an occupational therapist, a general ed teacher, a special ed teacher, and an administrator.

It is 8 vs. 1.

“It’s a room with parents kind of over here and the district all over here,” Jenn said. “It’s a very intimidating way to try to work... collaboratively”.

Lara added that the key to breaking this tension is early communication. Teachers and parents need to talk before the scary meeting happens. “It’s not kind or right to blind send somebody in a meeting like that,” Lara said.

3. Why Vouchers Are a Trap for Special Needs Families

We also touched on the hot-button issue of school vouchers. While some frame vouchers as “school choice,” Lara gave a terrifying perspective on what they mean for special education.

“Vouchers terrify me,” Lara said. “Because vouchers don’t provide any protection for special education students”.

Here is the reality: Private and charter schools can choose their students. They are not required to admit students with significant disabilities, nor are they required to hire qualified special education teachers to support them. If a student with special needs struggles in a private school, the school can simply expel them or suggest they leave.

Public education—for all its flaws—is mandated to serve every child. It is a class changer. As I said during the podcast, “Public schools have to work for Black children, or my community goes... down the toilet”.

The Bottom Line

We are living in a time where the oversight of the Department of Education is threatened. As Lara reminded us, without that federal oversight (like the Office for Civil Rights), there is no one to hold districts accountable when they cut corners.

Public education is a fight worth having. Whether you are a parent of a neurodivergent child or just someone who believes in equity, we have to stay informed and vigilant.

Want to hear the full conversation?

Check out the latest episode of Girls Gone Menopause on our YouTube channel to hear more from Jenn and Lara about the “Black Excellence” plan, the impact of budget cuts, and why teachers are the best (but most exhausted) solution we have.