Alabama took a step backwards after Gov. Kay Ivey signed a sweeping bill that bans state funds for (DEI) diversity, equity and inclusion programs at public entities including at public schools and higher education.
SB129 would also “authorize certain public entities to discipline or terminate employees or contractors who violate this act.”
In a statement, Ivey provided flawed reasoning as to why she signed the bill.
“My administration has and will continue to value Alabama’s rich diversity, however, I refuse to allow a few bad actors on college campuses – or wherever else for that matter – to go under the acronym of DEI, using taxpayer funds, to push their liberal political movement counter to what the majority of Alabamians believe,” Ivey said.
Ivey is presenting DEI as if it’s only a political issue, when it truly impacts real lives. Alabama already suffers from some of the biggest racial disparities in the nation. According to Huntsville’s Desegregation Advisory Committee (DAC), 93% of Black Students are not proficient in math vs. 53% of white students.
In terms of economics, Black children suffered average poverty rates of 41.9% vs. 16.5% for white children, according to a study by Alabama Kids Count.
Those numbers will likely increase following Ivey’s signing of SB129.
But while Ivey and her Republican counterparts are against DEI in most aspects, they have yet to speak out against DEI on the football field and basketball courts. University of Alabama and Auburn University have two of the most prominent sports programs in the nation. There biggest sports, football and basketball, are led by Black student-athletes.
Last month Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin wrote in a Facebook post that Black parents should discourage their athletic kids from attending schools in Alabama if the bill was passed.
“Would you be cool with your child playing at schools where diversity among staff is actively being…
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