EDUCATION FOR ALL

Rícky envisions an America where education is liberation—not a checklist. A system that nourishes minds, stirs creativity, and cultivates critical thinkers, not just good test-takers. While he understands the logic behind standardized assessments, he rejects the idea that multiple-choice answers can define the limitless potential of a human soul.

Right now, we’re failing our children—not because they lack talent, but because we’re not celebrating the brilliance they already carry. That failure isn’t just an educational issue—it’s a national crisis. The seeds we neglect today will never bear the fruit we need tomorrow. But if we nurture them with care, they won’t just provide shade—they’ll rebuild forests.

Rícky calls for a new American education renaissance, one where learning is joyful, immersive, and practical—not robotic or rote. He demands the restoration of music, the arts, and physical education, affirming that the body and mind are sacred and interconnected. He places mental health at the heart of this vision, knowing that no student can flourish in a system that ignores their inner world.

It begins with Universal Pre-K—a foundation for every child, no matter their zip code or income. But it doesn’t stop there.

Rícky’s blueprint for education includes real-life tools for a real-world future:

Culinary arts. Life sciences. Personal finance. Time management. Entrepreneurship. Civics. Social studies. Global history.

Our students deserve more than survival. They deserve to thrive, and Rícky’s ready to build the system that makes that possible.

There was a time when Black excellence and higher education walked hand in hand—when shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, A Different World, Martin, Living Single, and Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper didn’t just entertain, they inspired. They lifted up college—especially our HBCUs—as a beacon of pride and possibility. They reminded us that education was not just a pathway out, but a gateway up.

But somewhere along the way, that cultural momentum shifted. The spotlight dimmed. The investment stalled. And the consequences have been devastating—not just for institutions, but for entire generations of young Black students left without a clear model or means to reach higher.

Rícky believes it’s time to bring that focus back.

Not just in word—but in deed.

The time to reinvest in our HBCUs is now.

In tandem with his call for tuition- and debt-free college education, Rícky champions a robust, sustained investment in the restoration, maintenance, and funding of Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country. These institutions educate up to 20% of all African American college students, and their cultural, academic, and social impact is undeniable.

This is not a matter of nostalgia—it’s a matter of principle.

HBCUs are not relics. They are reservoirs of brilliance.

And they deserve not just survival—but revival.

We must honor the past by funding the future.

Our students deserve more than respect.

They deserve resources.

Rícky envisions an education system that finally reflects the world our children are inheriting—one that prepares every American child to thrive in a rapidly changing global economy while embracing the undeniable power of multilingualism.

In Rícky’s America, it should be standard—not exceptional—for students to graduate high school fluent in at least one other world language, alongside English. Spanish. French. German. Mandarin. Swahili. Arabic. Russian. Hindi. Portuguese. These aren’t foreign tongues—they are living languages of our neighborhoods, our cities, our families.

The economic, cultural, and diplomatic value of this initiative is immeasurable. In a world where borders are more digital than physical, the ability to speak multiple languages isn’t just a skill—it’s a superpower.

America is already home to millions of native speakers of these languages—raising children, building businesses, enriching our culture. Where else on Earth can you find a single school district with speakers of Swahili and Russian, Arabic and Portuguese, French and Hindi? This diversity isn’t a problem to be solved. It’s the blueprint for the future.

To skeptics who ask, “Where will we find the teachers?”—the answer is right here, in our own communities. From Harlem to Houston, from Little Haïti to Little Saigon, the multilingual educators of tomorrow are already among us. All we need is the vision—and the political will—to invest in them.

Rícky’s plan isn’t about assimilation but empowerment. It’s about recognizing that in a multilingual world, the monolingual are left behind. It’s about giving every child in America the tools not just to compete globally, but to lead globally.

Because the future speaks many languages—and so should we.

Just like health care, education should never be a for-profit enterprise. No American should be held hostage by a greedy, exploitative higher education system that punishes ambition with lifelong debt. Since the Reagan era, the cost of college has skyrocketed, locking out working-class students and gutting the promise of upward mobility.

Rícky knows this struggle firsthand. He carries hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loan debt—not because he was irresponsible, but because he dared to pursue knowledge in a system built to profit from it.

Gone are the days when someone could tend bar, pay the rent, and afford college tuition without selling their soul to lenders. Today, American students are fleeing to Europe—and can you blame them? At least 44 universities across Europe offer free bachelor’s degrees to international students. In Germany, Norway, Iceland, and Finland, public colleges are tuition-free. Health care is included. Dignity is included.

Meanwhile, in America, students graduate with degrees and shackles—debt that follows them for decades, delaying homeownership, career development, and family planning. That’s not education. That’s economic oppression.

This injustice cannot and will not stand.

Rícky believes in universal higher education—free, public college and university access for all American citizens and taxpaying residents. Education is not a luxury. It is a public good, a civil right, and the foundation of any nation that claims to value progress.

And let’s be clear: It’s time for a new kind of bailout.

Not for Wall Street.

Not for defense contractors.

For the students.

Cancel every cent of private and public student loan debt—all of it. Not $10K. Not $50K. Not even $100K. Every. Last. Dollar.

If this country can pour trillions into the Military Industrial Complex, it can surely invest in its future engineers, teachers, scientists, and artists. We don’t need more bombs. We need more books.

Let this be the generation that breaks the chains. No one should ever be punished for wanting to learn.

Rícky envisions an America where truth still matters. An America where the accurate dissemination of news and information isn’t optional—it’s essential. We’ve seen the chaos unleashed when misinformation becomes entertainment and lies are paraded as facts. Entire communities have been misled, and the soul of the nation has paid the price.

Educating the public isn’t just a civic duty—it’s a moral imperative. But when news becomes a spectacle, ignorance becomes policy. Too much has already been sacrificed at the altar of ratings, clickbait, and corporate profit.

That ends now.

It’s time to restore the Fairness Doctrine—the very safeguard dismantled by the FCC in 1987. Its absence has given rise to a media ecosystem driven not by fact, but by fury. Rícky believes that every claim aired on public channels must be met with accountability, rebuttal, and truth. No political ideology should monopolize the narrative unchallenged.

The polarization tearing this country apart didn’t appear overnight—it was cultivated. Biased news coverage, unchecked agendas, and echo chambers dressed as journalism have poisoned the well. It’s time to hold the media accountable for the division it has helped sow.

Rícky demands a media landscape that educates, not manipulates. That informs, not inflames. That lifts the collective understanding of the people rather than exploiting their emotions for profit.

Let’s make our news networks smart again. Let’s make them honest.

Because in the end, a democracy without truth is just a shadow of one.

Rícky staunchly defends the doctrine of Net Neutrality, declaring that equitable access to the Information Superhighway is not a luxury—it is a fundamental human right. In this digital age, internet access must be recognized and protected as a public utility, guaranteed to all people regardless of income, race, or nationality. To deny access is to deny voice, participation, and the full spectrum of modern citizenship.

As the world accelerates into an increasingly digitized future, the Internet has become the frontline of the human rights struggle. It is no longer a passive tool—it is an extension of our public square, a sanctuary of expression, and a battleground for truth. Where television once filled the airwaves, now float satellites, cellular signals, and data streams that carry the voices of the silenced and the dreams of the oppressed.

In the 21st century, human dignity and internet access are intertwined. From livestreamed protests to viral movements for justice, the world has witnessed firsthand how a single video can dismantle lies, provoke change, and call empires to account. It is no coincidence that the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement found its footing online—where Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi transformed trauma into testimony and mourning into movement through social platforms that echo across continents.

The United Nations has affirmed it. The people have lived it. And the regimes that fear it try desperately to shut it down. But history has already chosen its side: The open web is the soul of the free world.

To restrict access to the Internet is to withhold education, opportunity, economic advancement, and political participation. It is an act of digital colonization. Rícky believes that such restrictions must be challenged as violations of international law—and of our collective moral code.

The Internet is not merely a tool. It is a right. A weapon for the just. A torch in the darkness. And in the fight for a freer, fairer future, we must guard it, expand it, and ensure that it reaches even the most forgotten corners of the Earth.