“Florida is where D.E.I. goes to die” — Gov. Desantis

A State of Confusion

Many people are shrugging their shoulders across the nation about the decision to cut the programming and jobs associated with D.E.I. (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) after Florida imposed a new ruling at the University of Florida this past week. This is just the beginning as Gov. Ron Desantis attacks public higher-ed policy and injects his right-wing ideology, which many believe does not belong.

Down with Diversity

As much of the country is embracing the new policy changes allowing for the sentiment of equity and unbiased inclusion in schools, employment, and other social settings, the State of Florida threw a curveball that has become national news.

Some thirty people were fired on Friday, and programs were shut down at the University of Florid without warning after a ruling that eliminated
The D.E.I. programs instituted at the institution of higher education are reallocating the 5 million in funding to other areas associated with the school. Students, faculty, and alumni are conveying emotions of disgust and disappointment, while other states are vowing to follow suit.

But why?

Progressive Movement, Meet Prohibition

The governor of Florida and his supporters have made statements regarding the move to prohibit diversity and inclusion initiatives that are as hollow as they are infuriating.

The Republican leader believes that initiatives focusing on the equality movement are nothing more than a veneer or facade used to mask and promote a liberal ideology and have democratic party motives written all over them.

The Florida governor also called diversity programs “toxic” and said that they have no place in higher-ed or in Florida. The ruling comes a year after other successful Republican interjections involving higher-ed in the Sunshine State have been enacted—the controversy concerning the curriculum that teaches identity politics or skews or distorts significant events.

What does that translate to exactly? Well, this prohibits any of the core curriculum to include the inference that America’s societal institutions are riddled with systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and white privilege… smh.

Ron Desantis is a man who also believes that there is a conspiracy that operates within the higher education universe that pushes liberal indoctrination to wipe out the potential future supporters of the Republican Party so the Democrats may be fixed to win at the poles and gain sole control of Washington D.C. and the White House.

…Yikes!

The Future of Diversity & Higher Ed in Florida

So, as you may be wondering (and rightly so), what does the future hold for the hope for more inclusive school settings and less disparity in the fight for more access to opportunity for the underserved regarding learning beyond high school? And what about the thirty people who have been stripped of their jobs?

The people working in the ongoing D.E.I. programs at the university have not only been given the proverbial pink slip without any warning, but I can say with certainty that they have lost more than just their jobs.

Many cases where people are devoting their time to a career based on bettering society as a whole hold a sense of pride that exists when you are advocating for those who have been historically misrepresented and silenced. People are left behind because they are not seen as those who are deserving of privilege or are less competent because of something as simple as their skin color.

More Harm than Good

This latest stone thrown by the right in an effort to loosen what they refer to as a stranglehold that the liberals have on higher-ed seems to be a vehicle of fear and hatred underlying all the rulings and the finger-pointing. I feel like what the republican party as a whole seems to get wrong here is that you don’t have to be a racist to be a person with conservative values.

However, the constant attacks on the movements that promote the progress of a more unified and accepting society make most Republicans recoil in disgust, and it definitely looks like they are, in fact, promoting racism, social exclusion, and profiling to achieve their agenda politically.

Conservative supporters in Florida have said these programs are doing more harm than good, which would be counter-intuitive considering why they were devised. But Florida is not alone in their move to oust DEI programming.

Others Following Florida’s Lead

Other blue states such as Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah have adopted similar laws banning the existence of DEI on campuses and other social institutions. This is a sad trend we will likely continue as it affects the social norms in our country.

Why is there such a fear of viewing different people as equal? Why do we have to keep others down to feel we are winning? Why does there always need to be an Us vs. Them narrative that flows underneath it all? I can understand that conflicts will always exist. There are some things in this world. However, why do most conflicts arise because of fear of what is different? … foreign?

If we resorted to attempting to become familiar with what we do not understand, we could save so much pain, hate, fear, and, yes, even conflict. Perhaps we could if only we tried.