Collin Anderson and Peter Hasson write for the Washington Free Beacon about an unfortunate piece of the Texas Democratic Senate candidate’s resume.
Texas Senate candidate James Talarico (D.) earned tens of thousands of dollars working as an “equitable education” consultant for a firm that develops DEI plans for public schools in Texas. The firm, MAYA Consulting, described its work as “rooted in our diversity, equity, and inclusion philosophy” and donated to a group working to defund the Austin Police Department, a Washington Free Beacon review found.
Talarico first announced he was joining MAYA, which has since rebranded as VIDA Collaborative, in 2019, writing in a Facebook post that he would be “working with districts, nonprofits, and communities to build excellent and equitable educational opportunities.” Talarico worked for the firm until October 2025—one month after he launched his Senate campaign—and earned $83,333.40 from the job last year, according to his financial disclosure.
MAYA, with Talarico’s help, worked to bring critical race theory and DEI to Texas schools, particularly during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, when it partnered with public school districts like Snyder Independent School District in West Texas to support “diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.” In Austin, where Talarico lives, it promoted a series of monthly “RaceTalks” organized by the local public school district’s “Race Equity Council” that called on parents to “explore” their “pushback and triggers and name systemic barriers that form as a result.” The firm also contributed $5,000 to the left-wing nonprofit Austin Justice Coalition around the same time the coalition called to defund the Austin Police Department.
“Our team at MAYA Consulting works to achieve excellent and equitable schools … We believe that our partnership with clients seeks to address the systemic challenges of this moment,” the firm’s founder, Larkin Tackett, wrote in a June 2020 blog post announcing the donation.
