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www.politico.com

The University of Florida took some of the most drastic actions against diversity, equity, and inclusion in the state Friday by eliminating more than a dozen full-time campus positions including the “chief diversity officer.”

UF, Florida’s flagship school, closed the Chief Diversity Officer’s office, scrapped other jobs and “halted DEI-focused” vendor contracts in a wave of decisions under President Ben Sasse. The moves are a response to higher education reforms backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republicans in the state who are targeting “wokeness” and liberal “indoctrination” in Florida’s university system.

“DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities,” DeSantis said Friday on X. “I’m glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit.”

  • betheydocrime@lemmy.world
    352·
    9 months ago

    That’s not what this is about, though. From the fifth paragraph in the article:

    As such, Florida universities are prohibited from using state or federal cash to fund any activities tied to “diversity, equity and inclusion” or “political or social activism,” which carry broad definitions and could apply to a wide range of programs. Schools now are beginning to enact these policies locally.

    This isn’t about “treating people differently” and it is almost certainly not about race (although it’s not lost on me that they waited until the day after Black History Month to announce this change). This is about on-campus activities related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s about teaching students that America is varied, not monocultural. It’s about teaching students that transgender people are just people, not the monsters that Ron DeSantis makes them out to be. It’s about broadening perspectives, not enhancing an echo chamber. It’s about giving a voice and a platform to non-white, non-male, non-straight, non-cis, and non-wealthy perspectives that have historically been silenced so thoroughly that an entire system of class and privilege was built up around that silence.

      • betheydocrime@lemmy.world
        91·
        9 months ago

        I’m reminded of this quote from Malcolm X:

        “If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull it out six inches, there’s no progress. If you pull it all the way out that’s not progress. Progress is healing the wound that the blow made. And they haven’t even pulled the knife out much less healed the wound. They won’t even admit the knife is there.”