State Legislators Vote to Abolish Left-Wing "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion" Programming in All Public Universities

Dismantling the DEI Bureaucracy in Texas
State legislators vote to abolish left-wing “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programming in all public universities.

Christopher F. Rufo
30 May 2023

Over the weekend, Texas legislators passed the final version of SB 17, which will abolish the DEI bureaucracy and restore the principle of colorblind equality in all public universities.

I have been working on this campaign since January, releasing model legislation with Manhattan Institute, publishing investigative reports on radical “diversity and inclusion” programming in state universities, and working with political leaders to craft a persuasive narrative in the public debate.

This campaign is now paying dividends. Earlier this month, Governor DeSantis signed a bill to abolish DEI in Florida. In the coming weeks, Governor Abbott will sign the bill to abolish DEI in Texas. And, next year, other red states are likely to follow, copying the legislation in Florida and Texas, which has set the new standard.

This is the beginning of a conservative counter-revolution in higher education. In the late 1960s, left-wing activists launched their “long march through the institutions” and treated the public universities as a vehicle for their private political interests. They saturated academic departments with their ideology and showed contempt for voters in their intellectual work, but, for many decades, conservative politicians did nothing.

No more. The legislation in Florida and Texas will immediately shut down the most ideological component of university administration and put the pursuit of knowledge—not political activism—back to the center of higher education.

It’s time to recapture the institutions. Starting now.

© 2023 Christopher F. Rufo
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