An associate dean at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has publicly called President Donald Trump a racist and co-authored an academic paper suggesting the American education system, and even mathematics, is “inherently violent” toward Black students.

Percival Matthews, associate dean for the Office of the Dean and a professor in the Human Development Area at UW–Madison, shared his views in a series of Facebook posts and academic writings reviewed by Fox News Digital.

In a January 2018 Facebook post, Matthews appeared to label Trump a racist, writing, “What’s on my mind? This: When you get a guy in the ultimate seat of power with a history of racist endeavors who makes not-even-veiled racist comments that a decent portion of the people continue to defend, you’re left wondering what’s left to do.”

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He continued by invoking Malcolm X, saying, “For many, the name Malcolm X evokes the image of an unnecessarily violent man who hated America. But if you actually read the text of his best speeches (I recommend The Ballot or the Bullet as a starter), it’s clear that the frustration was fueled by a bald-faced (look the origin of that term up too) denial of an undeniable and obvious truth.”

Matthews, who was appointed “special advisor for access and community” in April, a role that “recognizes the importance of advancing UW–Madison’s institutional efforts to create a welcoming and inclusive community for students and employees from every background,” has also made reference to the concept of “violence” in education.

In a paper co-authored with Pooja Sidney, an associate professor at the University of Kentucky, Matthews claimed that systemic inequities in education leave Black students “shut out” of advanced courses, particularly in mathematics.

“This exclusionary narrative continues into the higher grades, with Black children routinely being shut out of advanced mathematics courses despite meeting achievement standards,” the paper states. “In stark contrast, more privileged White children are sometimes tracked into advanced courses despite failing to meet those standards.”

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The paper goes on to ask, “How can a Black scholar work to improve a system through rigorous empirical research when that system is arguably inherently violent toward Black children, even the ones who excel at all the tests?”

In an older Facebook post from 2020, Matthews referenced the concept of violence after the death of George Floyd, writing, “A legitimate (adv) use of violence can legitimate (vb) use of violence. There are a number of ways to read that sentence” in response to the murder of George Floyd.

Another 2020 post rhetorically asked, “And people are surprised that Minneapolis is burning?”

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In a statement to Fox News Digital, John Lucas, assistant vice chancellor for public affairs and institutional communications at UW–Madison, wrote, “UW-Madison supports free expression and doesn’t comment on the personal social media accounts of its students, faculty or staff.”

A statement from the University of Kentucky’s office of public relations and strategic communications told Fox News Digital, “The university wouldn’t have any comment on a faculty member’s scholarly work, which is protected by academic freedom and does not represent any university stance.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Matthews and Sidney for comment.

The Detroit Lions’ offense has sputtered all season, and one of the biggest culprits has been inconsistent play from their offensive line. It’s why Detroit’s running has sputtered at times, and it’s why Jared Goff is currently on pace for 34 sacks—the most since his first year in Detroit back in 2021.

Some struggles were expected. This offseason, the Lions lost All-Pro center Frank Ragnow to retirement and Pro Bowl guard Kevin Zeitler in free agency. They opted to start rookie Tate Ratledge at right guard, second-year Christian Mahogany at left guard (now replaced by Kayode Awosika due to injury), and veteran Graham Glasgow is back at center, a position he hasn’t regularly started at since 2022.

Against the Philadelphia Eagles, the offensive line continued its struggles. Goff was hurried and inaccurate all night, while the Lions only mustered a measly 3.5 yards per carry on the ground.

Despite the recent troubles, coach Dan Campbell believes it’s going to get better as the Lions attempt to make a playoff push in the final seven weeks of the season.

“I believe in these guys, man. I do.” Campbell said. “I just think the more they play together and they mesh, and we just do things that we do well.”

There have been games in which the Lions’ offensive line has seemingly settled in. They’ve held the opponent sackless in four of 10 games this season, and the run game has topped 150 yards in four contests so far.

Campbell believes there’s more he can do to lean into the unit’s strengths—something he thinks he could’ve done a better job of in Sunday’s loss to the Eagles.

“Every game’s different. There’s a couple of things I wish yesterday maybe I do differently, and just the way that we go about attacking those guys. Just a little bit that I think maybe can help our guys, too. There again, I just think – there’s a lot of things I think about that are always going around in my head, man. A number of different ways, ‘Well, we can do this, we can do this, we can try this.’”

Next up is the New York Giants. While they are just 2-9 on the season, they do boast a defensive line that could challenge the Lions’ front. That includes the likes of Brian Bruns, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Dexter Lawrence, and Abdul Carter.

Still, Campbell remains confident in Detroit’s front.

“I just go back to, man, I just believe in these guys. I think that they’re good enough, they know how to play together, we’ve just got to be a little more consistent in areas.”

MILWAUKEE — Sometimes the most influential people in our lives are the ones we don’t expect to meet. In Milwaukee, a simple social media post led to a story about mentorship, inclusion and the power of creating safe spaces in the arts community.

Watch: Milwaukee community hero recognized

From survivor advocacy to tattoo artistry: Community hero recognized in Milwaukee

A few months ago, TMJ4 reporter Meryl Hubbard posted a TikTok asking people to name their community hero. Miranda Davila commented:

“Mai Kue a tattoo artist and owner of Starseed Studio. She’s done a lot to uplift, specifically Hmong artists and voices, but also was extremely kind when I was initially asking for help with my portfolio, and was looking for an apprenticeship. She doesn’t gatekeep, and she wants more women, specifically women of color in the tattoo world.”

Davila, an artist herself, says Mai Kue Vang gave her genuine feedback on her work and helped her get started with finding apprenticeships and a studio.

“I had been looking for, like, literally anybody to look at my portfolio for tattooing. She was the main one who really kept up with me,” Davila said.

When Vang learned she had been nominated as someone’s community hero, her reaction was one of humble surprise.

“I’m like, what?! Somebody like somebody shared me, and I’m just like, what really? So I’m always like, humbled. I’m always surprised. My Achilles heel is like, I never give myself time to, like, give myself credit,” Vang said.

After a career committed to non-profit work of helping survivors of gender-based violence, Vang started Starseed Studio in 2018. She has been tattooing out of her current location since 2022.

Today, Vang is still helping survivors and inspires Hmong, queer and women of color communities to explore tattoo artistry. Her main drive is creating a safe space and motivating others to pursue their dreams.

“I always encourage people of like, if you don’t see a space for you, like, create it,” Vang said.

For Davila, Vang’s intentional approach to art makes all the difference.

“She’s so intentional with the way that she creates art, and I think that’s so special, especially when it’s something you’re going to be putting on someone forever. It’s just an amazing feeling to have someone in the community here who, like truly cares about their artwork and how they give it to other people,” Davila said.

Vang was one of the only people who took time to help Davila with her artistic aspirations, something that meant everything to an artist trying to find her place in the community.

“There’s so many artists and you don’t feel like you’re necessarily part of the community sometimes. I felt, yeah, very seen by her. I felt a connection there,” Davila said.

The feeling of being seen goes both ways.

“I’m just like, Oh, my God, I’m a hero? Like, okay, like, Thank you. You know. I’m in gratitude that someone sees me as their hero,” Vang said.

If you have a community hero you’d like to share, you can email meryl.hubbard@tmj4.com.

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