The University of Alabama has become the latest public university system to eliminate its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) program following the passage of a new law that prohibits the state’s public institutions from promoting “divisive concepts” that encourage discrimination based on characteristics such as race or sex.
UA campuses in Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Huntsville suspended their respective DEI programs on Tuesday to comply with a law requiring public universities in the state to designate restrooms based solely on biological sex.
under Senate Bill 129 The legislation, which was signed into law by Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and took effect on Oct. 1, prohibits certain government agencies and public institutions from implementing any type of DEI program or operating an office under the act.
The law bans “promoting, supporting or affirming” what it calls “divisive concepts” in public places and also provides for penalties for violations.
Some of the divisive concepts outlined in SB129 include:
- That any race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or nationality is inherently superior or inferior.
- Individuals should not be discriminated against or subjected to less favourable treatment because of their race, colour, religion, sex, ethnicity or national origin.
- That an individual’s moral character is not determined by his or her race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin.
- Any person is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether unconsciously or consciously, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin.
It also prohibits people from demanding that others accept guilt, blame or the need for apology based on those same innate traits, and it prohibits people from promoting the idea that traits like meritocracy and a hard work ethic are rooted in racism or sexism.
SB 129 gives state agencies, including local school boards and public universities, the power to “discipline or terminate” employees who violate the law, subject to the usual legal rigor associated with the termination of a state employee.
“My administration has and will continue to value Alabama’s rich diversity,” Gov. Ivey said in a statement after signing the bill in March.
“But I will not allow a few bad actors on college campuses, or anywhere else, to use taxpayer funds to co-opt the acronym DEI and promote a liberal political movement that runs counter to what the vast majority of Alabamians believe.”
Alabama is not the first state to enact laws banning DEI initiatives, which critics say deepen political divisions and advance a left-wing political agenda.
The University of Florida closed its diversity office and laid off 13 full-time employees in March to comply with a 2023 statute enacted in January that bars universities from using public funds to support DEI initiatives.
The University of Florida said in a statement that $5 million that had been earmarked for DEI has been reallocated to faculty hiring.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has long been a vocal opponent of “woke” policies that punish or promote people based on their race or sex. Post to X“Florida is the place where DEI goes to die.”
The University of Texas at Austin announced in April that it would lay off dozens of staff members working on the school’s DEI programs, disband its Campus and Community Engagement department, and transfer its former budget to other departments.
The move comes after a new law went into effect Jan. 1 that effectively bans DEI institutes at public universities across the state.
According to local outlet WHNT, University of Alabama employees who previously worked in the university’s DEI office will not be laid off, but instead will be relocated elsewhere, including to the University of Alabama-Huntsville’s newly announced Office of Access, Connection and Engagement.
a Statement on the UAH website The new office will “accelerate student recruitment and retention strategies and provide enhanced support for all students.”
