The University of Florida took some of the most drastic actions against diversity, equity, and inclusion in the state Friday by eliminating more than a dozen full-time campus positions including the “chief diversity officer.”
UF, Florida’s flagship school, closed the Chief Diversity Officer’s office, scrapped other jobs and “halted DEI-focused” vendor contracts in a wave of decisions under President Ben Sasse. The moves are a response to higher education reforms backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republicans in the state who are targeting “wokeness” and liberal “indoctrination” in Florida’s university system.
“DEI is toxic and has no place in our public universities,” DeSantis said Friday on X. “I’m glad that Florida was the first state to eliminate DEI and I hope more states follow suit.”
It does treat people differently in practice. It doesn’t really matter the intent.
I’m reminded of this quote from Malcolm X:
“If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull it out six inches, there’s no progress. If you pull it all the way out that’s not progress. Progress is healing the wound that the blow made. And they haven’t even pulled the knife out much less healed the wound. They won’t even admit the knife is there.”