Alabama Senate Committee approved the legislation that would ban diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, as it promotes “divisive concepts.”
The bill, SB 129, led by Sen. Will Barfoot (R-Pike Road), warns employees or teachers who are promoting DEI programs will be subjected to possible termination. It also prohibits efforts of affirming, adopting, or adhering to such divisive concepts.
Divisive concepts were defined as “individuals, by virtue of race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin, are inherently responsible for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin.”
Barfoot said a divisive concept is anything that implies that “any race, color, religion, sex, ethnicity, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior.”
State employees caught violating the law will suffer disciplinary action or termination.
Republican lawmakers remarked that these DEI programs were essentially discriminatory and promoted leftist ideology.
The bill also bars schools from funding programs that promote concepts or require students and employees to attend “any training, orientation, or course work that advocates for or requires assent to a divisive concept, require students as part of any required curriculum or mandatory professional training.”
“This bill is an attempt to pull the divisive languages out of schools, out of the classrooms to teach history accurately, fairly so that everybody can be recognized regardless of color of skin, sex (or) national origin,” remarked the Pike Road lawmaker.
The public hearing was attended by university professors and academicians who voiced their opinions on the legislation.
“History is a very messy kind of subject,” said retired history professor and published author Dr. Tilford Earl said, “I believe this bill is needed to put the university back away from ideologically motivated history. Ideology has no place in history; but you can point to ideology in history and gain a great deal of learning.”
“I think this bill is about as fair as you can get,” Earl said. “I would be in favor of this bill because it does attempt to get us away from ideological perspectives when it comes to history.”
Retired Air Force Col. John Eidsmoe is the senior legal counsel of the Foundation of Moral Law.
Senior legal counsel of the Foundation of Moral Law Ret. Air Force Col. John Eidsmoe quipped: “The bill provides ample protection for academic freedom. What we are concerned about is indoctrination in a particular ideology. An ideology that divides people into identity groups rather than measures them on their individual worth, teaches people to be ashamed of their race or their ancestry and teaches hatred of their ancestors. That’s what we are trying to prevent here.”
Before the Senate advanced to the Alabama House of Representatives, Senate Democrats have stalled all legislation in the body.
Read the bill here:
