.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... Legislative Education Study Committee (LESC) director Rachel Gudgel has got to go. Her very presence in government is precisely the representation of systemic racism we must eliminate and hold accountable. In 2018, our Legislature was tasked with taking immediate action to overhaul the state’s education system after Judge Sarah Singleton ruled that New Mexico was violating our constitutional mandate to provide an adequate and sufficient education – especially to students of color, low-income students, English language learners and students with disabilities. Gudgel’s removal (for allegedly making disparaging remarks about Native Americans) is a key part of living up to that mandate. Her continued presence is an all-too-real embodiment of not standing by our values of anti-racism and of truly holding leadership accountable for their words.