The Trump justice department recently coerced the resignation of James E. Ryan, president of the University of Virginia (UVA - my alma mater), because he was seen as not cooperating adequately with Trump’s orders to dismantle UVA’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Ryan resigned rather than put the university at increased risk of losing hundreds of millions in federal funding.

This bullying tactic on the part of the Trump administration recalls the dark days of the Red Scare of the 1950s, when Republicans in Congress persecuted progressives by forcing them to testify in hearings, where they were asked, “Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?” Many of the persecuted were wrongly imprisoned or lost their jobs because of this Red Scare.

The situation at UVA demonstrates that we are now facing a Woke Scare, as the Trump administration persecutes those who have supported DEI efforts. That UVA has become the focus of these efforts is beyond appalling. UVA, founded by Thomas Jefferson, who famously wrote, “all men are created equal.” UVA, which only recently acknowledged the blight on its history that resulted from the university having been built by slave labor. UVA, where, in 2019, white supremacists marched with their absurd Tiki torches and chanted obscene racist slogans.

The NY Times cited a conservative pundit saying Ryan had to go because he pursued “social justice” programs (NYT). Framing “social justice” as a pejorative clearly indicates what the MAGA movement desires – “anti-social injustice.” In forcing James Ryan’s resignation, they have a tainted victory to celebrate. But, just as history has found that the Red Scare of the 1950s was a blight on America’s greatness, we will come to see that this Woke Scare is every bit as shameful.