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Gov. Stitt signed an executive order restricting diversity, equity and inclusion programs at Oklahoma colleges and universities Wednesday.
The order will require state higher education institutions to review and report their current DEI departments and eliminate non-critical personnel.
Gov. Stitt said in a press conference that this effort is to “shift the focus in education back to educating our young people instead of politics and indoctrination in our colleges and universities.”
Gov. Stitt has cited that DEI programs “divide us,” although, the programs exist to increase participation from individuals of minority backgrounds. He went on to say, “We want to make sure we don’t lie to the next generation. You’re going to have to work hard, life is not always fair. You’re going to have to persevere through life to get ahead.”
Oklahoma NAACP Responds to Stitt’s executive order
Bernard Allen-Bey, current President of The Oklahoma State Conference NAACP, sat down with The Black Wall St. Times to talk in detail about the order.
“I don’t disagree that life is not fair. We are going to have to work and persevere, but we’re going to have to be clear about what we’re fighting against and who we’re fighting against…Now the question becomes, by Gov. Stitt opposing diversity, equity, and inclusion, is that an enemy to the future of Black and Indigenous people? I would say yes.”
Allen-Bey continues on, “I would invite him or anyone else to have an open dialogue because he may not agree that he’s in opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion. It might be a matter of methodology.”
Politics in higher education
The Oklahoma NAACP president brought up the landmark 1978 Supreme Court case University of California v Bakke. It was of great significance for securing affirmative action policies to increase diversity in higher education.
“And again I think the conversation needs to go to: are you interested in providing opportunity for everyone or are you interested in preserving the status quo?”
“If you look at the [Tulsa race] Massacre, that was never about jealously or petty foolishness on the elevator. It was always about shutting down the economic progress of Black community,” Allen-Bey added.
Gov. Stitt stated that he wants to take politics out of higher education and give everyone the same opportunity.
Allen-Bey believes that the only way to obtain equal opportunity for everyone is through the same way that in-opportunity was obtained, and that is through policy.
“Without any open debate, you never know if he’s being genuine or not,” Allen-Bey stated. “We’d like to see the state government address the inequalities in society that it created.”
He brings light to the fact that Langston University, the state’s only HBCU has reportedly been underfunded by $419 million. “We’d like to see the State of Oklahoma come to the table with clean hands and address their past behavior.”
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Overview of Executive Order
The executive order from Gov. Stitt requires all state agencies and higher education institutions begin to review and report all DEI offices and programs. Executive Order 2023-31 states that all institutes and agencies should not use state funding to:
- Grant or support DEI programs, departments, or positions that use preferential treatment for any individual based on their, race or ethnicity.
- require participation in training or education in any proceedings that grant preference based on race, ethnicity, or national origin
- mandate that any individual declares they favor one race, ethnicity, or national origin over another’s
- mandate any individual from declaring they agree with any political, religious, or philosophical viewpoint
- require any employment applicant to provide diversity, equity, and inclusion statements or give preferential treatment to any applicant
- require any person to disclose their pronouns.
All impacted agencies and institutions must be in compliance of the order by May 31, 2024. Those who do not comply will be at risk of funding loss by Sept. 1, 2024.