The Milwaukee Area Technical College plans to celebrate Martin Luther King Day Jr. at the downtown campus on January 15, 2026, after eliminating the Multicultural Student Services in August of 2025 to comply with Trump's prohibition of race oriented programs.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
January 14, 2026
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Thursday, the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the downtown campus, with special guest Donzaleigh Abernaty (MLK's goddaughter), which is a hypocrisy in itself by the MATC administration, since the technical college President Dr. Anthony Cruz and the MATC Board of Trustees eliminated the Multicultural Student Services, effecting Latino/Hispanic, African-American, Asian-American including Native-American students, and unjustly terminating four student service specialists in late August 2025.
Dr. Cruz of Cuban descent eliminated the Multicultural Student Services after more than 50 years of related services to students of color, in order to comply with Trump's elimination of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs, which was unconstitutional and illegal to do so, because it violated the instructors right to free speech in the classroom, according to multiple federal court decisions. Trump had also threatened to stop federal funding to colleges and universities that didn't comply. A number of universities challenged Trump's unconstitutional executive order and have temporarily succeeded in stopping Trump from eliminating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs that serve and protect students of color.
Today, Dr. Cruz and the MATC Board of Trustees continue to ignore the communities of color demands to restore the Multicultural Student Services and rehire the four student service specialists who were terminated because they served students of color (race related work).
What would Martin Luther King Jr. say today, if he was alive and learned that Dr. Cruz without hesitating or having the courage to challenge Trump, he decided to eliminate the Multicultural Student Services at the technical college? Shame on Dr. Cruz!
Dr. Cruz has done a disservice to the communities of color in the Milwaukee metropolitan area by eliminating the Multicultural Student Services at the college. The MATC administration has also been tasked by Dr. Cruz to eliminate or phase out all other Diversity, Equity and Inclusion related programs, services and courses at the college, according to sources.
Check out other issues affecting MATC under Dr. Cruz.
Public testimony given at the MATC Board of Trustees meetings regarding the current state of affairs at MATC:
• MATC Alumni and community activist Samuel A. Alford public comment testimony regarding the elimination of the Multicultural Student Services Office by MATC President Dr. Cruz, during the November 24, 2025 MATC Board of Trustees meeting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
• Here's the October 2024 MATC Board meeting video where Luz Sosa, Carlos Aranda, Patricia Gómez and others exposed the hostile, harassment, retaliation and discrimination practices by leadership administrators at the technical college. https://youtu.be/Lm_ImpZGXn4
• The December 2024 video, the MATC Board meeting and testimony given by employees and MATC Counselor Carlos Aranda https://youtu.be/ed93-NODo8M
The members of the MATC Board of Trustees are, Erica L. Case, Chairperson; Citlali Mendieta-Ramos, Vice-Chairperson; Dr. Waleed Najeeb, Secretary; Gail Pence, Treasurer; Lauren Baker; Mark F. Foley and Wisconsin State Representative Supreme Moore-Omokunde (D-Milw). (MATC Board of Directors | MATC https://share.google/JBtolZmTGaz4lo885)
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