The Humanities Are Out of Money—Now What?
I received an email today from Arizona Humanities. The subject? They’re out over $1 million in funding due to changes at the NEH.
Let’s pause and think about what that really means.
The programs being defunded were not neutral educational initiatives. They were programs explicitly shaped by DEI ideology, critical theory, Marxist social justice, racial grievance narratives, and discriminatory practices disguised as “equity.” In short, they were ideological campaigns wrapped in the language of “civic engagement.”
I’ve seen firsthand the kinds of events Arizona Humanities has supported at ASU. For example, they’ve funded student participation in indigenous religious rituals—such as “smudging”—as part of trauma healing workshops. Think about that. Taxpayer money used to fund spiritual rituals.
Ask yourself this: would Arizona Humanities—or any public university in the state—fund a Christian religious practice under the banner of healing or inclusion? Would a faculty member (besides humble Professor Anderson) even dare to request funding for a Christian teaching session? We all know the answer.
These DEI-era humanities programs were discriminatory by design. They privileged voices deemed “marginalized” according to a radical ideology and silenced dissenting views under the guise of justice. But now, the public has seen through the rhetoric. And the money is drying up.
That’s what the vast overwhelming majority of Americans voted for in November
This is what accountability looks like.
So when people ask me, “Are you saying the humanities should disappear?” I say: The ideological version? Absolutely. Let them go.
But don’t mistake that for an attack on the humanities themselves. The true study of the humanities—philosophy, history, literature, theology, the pursuit of wisdom and virtue—needs revival, not erasure. Clearing out the ideological weeds gives us the opportunity to replant what is good, beautiful, and true.
Let the defunding of DEI be the rebirth of the humanities.