Indiana Governor Set to Receive Bill Affecting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives in Education

Public schools and universities in Indiana would be required to end or curtail diversity policies under a bill approved by state lawmakers. Senate Bill 289 repeals sections of state law that set up diversity committees on college campuses, bans educational or employment actions based on personal characteristics, and prohibits training that teaches a person is inherently inferior or superior due to their race, ethnicity, or other protected characteristics.The bill's author, Sen. Gary Byrne, R-Byrneville, said the goal is to eliminate "divisive concepts" in education and ensure people are treated fairly. "You can't fix discrimination with discrimination," he said. "This bill is good for Indiana, where everybody should be judged by how hard you work, and that's what this bill is about."However, the bill drew strong opposition from Democrats, who argued it would sabotage efforts to help groups disadvantaged due to past discriminatory policies such as Jim Crow laws.Sen. Fady Qaddoura, D-Indianapolis, a Palestinian-American, said he personally faced discrimination as a Senate intern. "What this legislation ignores is that people have different starting points in their lives and in most of our history as a country, it was the government that pushed people behind the starting line."Sen. La Keisha Jackson, D-Indianapolis, who is Black, became emotional while criticizing the bill, saying it's anti-Black and threatens to undo decades of work on civil rights."Are we scared to say Black, y'all? Are we scared to give our friends and neighbors, minorities a helping hand?" she asked. "Because they do need it. We're not on an equal playing field. Merit is not going to count when they have the same things as our white counterparts have. This is about race."