Christian Nationalism in Education with Maya Henson

Alison, Liz, and Rebecca welcome Maya Henson, Senior Research Analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project, for a deep dive into the impact of Christian supremacy and anti-student inclusion movements on public education. They discuss the many strategies used by Christian nationalists to influence our public schools—from curriculum control and book bans to release-time religious programs and the weaponization of "parental rights."

Show Notes

• Southern Poverty Law Center

• Resources

• Support Our Schools (public education defense group)

• Read Freely Alabama

• Stop Moms for Liberty

Cases

• Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)

• Engel v. Vitale (1962)

• Illinois ex rel. McCollum v. Board of Ed. of School Dist. No. 71, Champaign County (1948)

• "American Library Association releases 2025 Most Challenged Books List as National Library Week Begins"

• Parents Defending Education v. Wellesley Public Schools (2022)

• AP - "District settles lawsuit over groups for students of color"

• Mahmoud v. Taylor (2025)

• NWLC - "Breaking Down the Supreme Court's Decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor: Why It is More Important Than Ever to Advocate for Inclusive Schools"

• Democracy Forward - "Back to School, and Back in Court: The Weaponization of Mahmoud v. Taylor"

• Episode 42 – High Unholy Season Continues: Mahmoud v. Taylor

Maya's Bio

Maya Henson is a senior research analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project, where she focuses on the antigovernment movement, which includes the anti-student inclusion movement.

Before joining the SPLC, Maya spent over 10 years in higher education, which along with her academic background provides a unique perspective to monitoring and exposing extremism in public education.

Since joining SPLC, she has provided expert analysis on topics such as the dangers of the newly revived Florida State Guard, the parallels in the current anti-student inclusion movement to anti-integration fights 70 years ago, students mobilizing to fight censorship, and the contradictions and potential threats of curriculum and book bans. In addition to SPLC outlets, Maya's analysis has been featured in the National Urban League's State of Black America, as well as in international, national, and local media.

Maya has a B.S. in business administration from Stillman College, an M.A. in psychology, an M.Ed. in higher education administration, and an MLS is Indigenous Peoples law. She also holds an Ed.D. with a concentration in diversity and equity education from the University of Illinois, where her primary research focus was the experiences of minority students in higher education.

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Our website, we-dissent.org, has more information as well as episode transcripts.