Walking Back the Long Road of Trust
With Liberty Lane and Colonel Ezra Stone (Ret.)
“The Constitution don’t work if we’re too busy to care.”
Liberty:
Well y’all, here we are again. Watching the institutions we were taught to trust trip over their own shoelaces. Only this time, somebody stood up straight.
Harvard — of all places — blinked. 🎓
They revised their DEI reporting structure, stepped out of the line of performative politics, and started talking about actual academic merit again. Read the full report if you need the receipts.
Now I know what some of y’all are thinking: “It’s just a press release.”
But baby, don’t underestimate the ripple when one stone finally drops in still water.
Because this wasn’t just Harvard protecting legacy donors. This was a flash in the narrative — a break in the chant, a quiet admission: “Maybe we went too far.”
Ezra:
I wore the uniform long enough to know that freedom don’t survive on autopilot. Trust is a two-way contract. You break it, you earn your way back.
And right now? That road’s long.
Because we’ve betrayed the very people we claimed to lift up — black students, first-gen scholars, hard-working families of every color who wanted fairness, not filters.
We substituted metrics for mentorship.
We offered categories instead of care.
And when folks raised concerns? We called them bigots.
That’s not inclusion. That’s cowardice in a cap and gown.
Harvard ain’t fixed everything, but they at least admitted the system’s cracked. That’s more than most.
Liberty:
The tantrums are coming, sugar. The online mobs, the think pieces, the passive-aggressive faculty emails. 💻 Because when power shifts — even a little — folks who built their brands on division throw fits.
But I’m gonna tell you what I told my niece last week:
“Being principled ain’t about always being right. It’s about getting real when the truth hurts.” 💥
And here’s the real: If we keep treating identity like currency and merit like myth, we’re gonna bankrupt the very idea of equality.
Ezra:
We were promised a better union. Not a curated caste system.
So if Harvard — the citadel of American prestige — can begin to walk back the edge, then the rest of us damn well better follow through.
Because we’re not just losing trust.
We’re losing the next generation’s belief in even trying.
💡 What You Can Do
1. Read Before You Rage:
Start with Harvard’s official statement, then compare it to Stanford’s data breakdown or UCLA’s public equity scorecards. Notice the shifts. Share them.
2. Write Your College Board or Local Regent:
If you’re an alum, parent, or local taxpayer — your voice matters. Ask for transparency in admissions. Ask where the money goes. Ask why trust is so low.
3. Support Real Reformers:
Groups like FAIR or The Heterodox Academy are pushing for pluralism without performative politics. They need donors, shares, and strong-willed allies.
🧭 Final Word from the Porch:
Liberty:
We’ve all been betrayed in some way. By schools, by slogans, by people we thought gave a damn. But betrayal’s only fatal if we give up on healing.
Ezra:
So hold the line. Calm your fire. And walk the long road back with dignity. We built trust before. We can do it again.
But only if we choose courage over comfort — and truth over tantrums. 
“Being principled ain’t about always being right. It’s about getting real when the truth hurts.” – Liberty Lane
🧭 More Links that MATA
You’ve been betrayed.
By headlines that twist. By institutions that gaslight.
By schools that traded trust for trend.
These links? They’re not just footnotes — they’re your flashlight.
🎓 If you’re a student, parent, or alum wondering what’s happening at your school…
🔗 Stanford’s Public Data Dashboard
🔗 UCLA Equity Scorecards
🔗 ACTA – Alumni Action Tools
Not all colleges are the same. Some share their data. Some hide behind buzzwords. These tools help you ask the right questions.
🛠️ If you’re ready to take action instead of just yelling at your screen…
🔗 FAIR – Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism
🔗 Heterodox Academy
🔗 James G. Martin Center
🔗 National Association of Scholars
These are the folks rebuilding the bridge between free speech and true equity. Support them. Share their work. Learn with them.
🗣️ If you want to protect students’ voices, not just slogans…
Because a campus that punishes thinking is no place for learning.
🌱 Why it all MATAs:
Because trust don’t grow back on its own.You’ve got to feed it, question it, protect it — and sometimes rebuild it from scratch.
These links are just the start. But they’re a better start than fear, silence, or the next tantrum headline.