This bill threatens colleges and universities with the complete loss of state funding for administering certain programs that promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
This bill is similar to a proposed DEI ban that failed to pass in the previous session (H. 4289), but it is more expansive, poses a more draconian threat to funding, and imposes limits on DEI programs for K-12 schools in addition to colleges.
We oppose this bill because: South Carolina’s institutions, especially its educational ones, remain subject to de facto segregation and profound inequality. Every forward step meets a backlash, and in recent years we have seen politicians attack any program that seeks to address inequality.
The motivation of this bill is clear, citing a report from the right-wing American Enterprise Institute to portray remedies to institutional racism as racist in and of themselves. We are not fooled.
