On Tuesday, senators in West Virginia introduced a bill that would undermine the Mountain State’s progress toward more diversity, fairness, and inclusion (DEI).
Chris Pritt, a representative representing California’s 350th assembly district, introduced the legislation. A lack of government funding for DEI (diversity, equality, and inclusion) programs in schools meant that this effort ultimately failed. Racist hiring policies and a lack of diversity training programs are two such instances. Because the Republican Party has had sway in state legislatures for so long, several statutes are very similar to this one.
First of all, so-called “diversity declarations” are not recognized by the law. Examples include the opportunity to accept a job offer, the renewal of a contract, an increase in compensation, or the distribution of a bonus. The following information must be included in a “diversity statement” to be legal:
The False Representations Act may apply to an applicant’s written or spoken statements regarding their credentials for a job.
understandings, perspectives, and encounters with the racial, ethnic, gender, and sexual orientation identities and experiences of students and employees; and engagement with or advocacy for issues of diversity, equality, inclusion, marginalized groups, anti-racism, social justice, and intersectionality.
There can be no discrimination against a student because of their race, color, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, as these factors are all explicitly prohibited by federal law. It’s not usually the most qualified applicant who gets the job.
Tolerance and acceptance education in schools would be optional under the proposed plan. Whether or not non-events may be broadcast legally depends on whether they promote or suggest the validity of racism, sexism, homophobia, or transphobia, or whether they show that the status quo is incorrect and needs to be altered.
Microaggressions, microinvalidations, group marginalization, anti-racism, systemic oppression, structural racism, structural inequity, transphobia, homophobia, cisnormativity, heteronormativity, racial or sexual privilege, social justice, intersectionality, neoliberalism are not taught.
In conclusion, the proposal would cause institutions to be less likely to fund diversity and inclusion activities, such as the establishment or growth of diversity and inclusion departments. In the admissions process, schools are not allowed to take into account a student’s race or gender, nor are they permitted to promote diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) programs.
If this legislation were to become law, the diversity, equality, and inclusion offices at Concord University, Glenville State College, Marshall University, Shepherd University, West Liberty University, and the University of West Virginia would all be shut down.
West Virginia is one of many states that has introduced legislation to limit the spread of the “woke” culture on college campuses. When Ron DeSantis reshuffled the Board of Trustees of New College of Florida, some campuses dropped their Critical Race Theory courses. Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders has signed an executive order prohibiting the use of CRT in the state’s public schools. A bill to outlaw DEI programs statewide in Texas was introduced in the state senate in December of 2017.