Join Over 30,000 People that Have Signed on, Expressing their Support for #DEI in the State of Texas

SIGN ON TODAY -https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSfINihaX3zZV8.../viewform

 Thank you for 30K Signatures! Help Us Save Tenure, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion! 

 We're thrilled to share that we've reached an amazing milestone: 30,000 signatures on our Fight for DEI petition! Your support has been incredible, and we couldn't have done it without our amazing partners, including BBDP NextGen, Texas LULAC, National LULAC, the Texas NAACP, The Texas Black Legislative Caucus, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Texas AAUP, the Pro-Truth Faculty,  Students Engaged in Advancing Texas, the Ethnic Studies Coalition of Texas, the Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition (comprised of over 35 organizations), the Texas Association for Mexican American Chambers of Commerce, the Texas Association for Diversity Officers in Higher Education, the Texas Association for Chicanos in Higher Education, the Latino Texas Policy Center, the Mexican American School Board Association, and the many educators, students, and volunteers that care.
 But our mission isn't over yet as the House Higher Education Committee is likely voting on Senate Bill 17 (SB 17) as early as tomorrow, Friday, May 12^th .
Besides signing, do reach out to these offices listed below to register your concerns about SB 17 that brings down everything DEI in all Texas colleges and universities.

 

• Speaker of the House, Representative Dade Phelan: (512) 463-1000
• Representative Travis Clardy (512) 463-0592
• Representative John Kuempel: (512) 463-0602
• Representative John Raney: (512) 463-0698
• 
  

You may also submit written testimony at this link.

 

Additional ways that you can contribute:

 Share, Share, Share! Spread the word about our petition far and wide. Your shares are crucial in amplifying our message and reaching more people.

 Keep Signing Up! Encourage others to add their names to the petition. Every signature brings us closer to protecting tenure, education, and diversity.

 Engage in Dialogue! Foster conversations about the importance of DEI. Share your stories and inspire change within your community.

 Stay Informed! Educate yourself on the issues at hand. Knowledge empowers us to advocate effectively.

 Together, we can make a difference! Sign the petition, share our message, and stand with us in the fight for DEI!

-Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D., co-founder

(with civil rights attorney Gary Bledsoe, Esq. and Colette Phillips)

Black Brown Dialogues on Policy

Social Media Links:

• Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamBlackBrown
• Visit our Website: Blackbrownpolicy.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamblackbrown/
• Twitter: @TeamBlackBrown
• Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@teamblackbrown

#DontletDEIdie @teamblackbrown #SaveDEI #Diversity #Inclusion #Equity

RESEARCH BRIEF: Texas' Declining Diversity of the Undergraduate Class, 2015-2022 by Jenna Doane & Maria Unda

Students, Friends, Colleagues & Members of the Texas Legislature:

Today, Senate Bill 17 will be heard in the House. SB 17 represents an attack DEI in higher education. Taking away this decades-long agenda for civil rights and inclusion in higher education institutions will foster a decline of diversity in Texas universities.

You can view and download the entire brief from the Texas Center for Education Policy (TCEP) website.

Congratulations to TCEP Fellows Jenna Doane & Maria Unda, both doctoral students in Education Policy and Planning in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin for such a timely and well-researched brief.

Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D., Director

Texas Center for Education Policy

Texas' Declining Diversity of the Undergraduate Class, 2015-2022: A Critical Policy Analysis of Anti-DEI Legislation in the 88th Session of the Texas 

State Legislature

 

by Jenna Doane & Maria Unda

Executive Summary

In this critical policy analysis, we report on DEI programs, the positive impact they have on all students, and the importance of a diverse faculty and student body. We provide data on hiring, access, and graduation rates that reveal the failures of higher education institutions to learning environments for systematically marginalized students with a particular focus on Texas.

Furthermore, graduation rates among students of color will display the barriers they face in college. Failure to meet the needs of students of color is already a primary issue among Texas universities, and this report seeks to bring to light the additional and damaging effects that removing DEI initiatives and resources could have on Texas students and faculty. Policy recommendations are outlined in the concluding section of this policy analysis.

URGENT MATTER. Anti-DEI bills SB 17 & SB 18 are getting heard in the Texas Legislature Tomorrow. Pls sign Petition & Share with Your Networks

To all Scholars, Students, Friends, and Colleagues:

URGENT MATTER. Anti-DEI bills SB 17 & SB 18 are getting heard tomorrow, Monday, May 8, 2023, in the Texas State Legislature—and refer to eliminating DEI offices and tenure, respectively. If you cannot make it to the capitol tomorrow, you can still provide commentary at this link: https://comments.house.texas.gov/home?c=c290

It is not at all hyperbole to say that our state's DEI programs are under threat, and we need everybody's voice. These programs promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in our schools and communities, and they are essential for creating a more just and equal society, on the one hand, a global competitiveness, on the other. However some lawmakers want to destroy these programs, putting so much of our civil rights progress at risk.

We can't let that happen. Join us in signing this petition to show your support for DEI programs in Texas. You can access it here directly or at the conclusion of our under 2-minute video.

Together, we can send a message to our lawmakers that these programs are important and that they must be protected. Let's work towards a future where everyone is valued and included. Sign the petition now and share with your friends and family.

We are making a documentary of this initiative. Like the legislation itself, it's a work in progress.

Thanks to Lana Husband, an award-winning documentarian for her beautiful work and for being with us in the struggle. Thanks, as well, to all of our super-talented Black Brown Dialogues on Policy Design Team for their phenomenal commitment to this project.

There will likely be a press conference tomorrow early afternoon on the matter tomorrow, too. I'll update the blog to reflect this once I have details. Please share with your networks.

-Angela Valenzuela, Ph.D., co-founder

(with civil rights attorney Gary Bledsoe, Esq. and Colette Phillips)

Black Brown Dialogues on Policy

Social Media Links:

• Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeamBlackBrown
• Visit our Website: Blackbrownpolicy.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teamblackbrown/
• Twitter: @TeamBlackBrown
• Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@teamblackbrown

#DontletDEIdie #teamblackbrown #SaveDEI #TexasForEquity #InclusionMatters

"Freedom to Learn" Rally at the Texas State Capitol—Austin, Texas, Wed., May 3, 2023 at 2:00PM

This April, the Texas Senate passed three anti-higher ed bills (SB16-a ban on so-called "CRT" in higher ed, SB17-a ban on DEI programs in higher ed, and SB18-a bill that attempts to abolish tenure). These bills are now going to the Texas House.

Texas faculty, working as private citizens, have organized a Freedom to Learn Texas Day of Action on May 3rd--both in Austin and from wherever people are--to stand up for the freedom to learn.

The Day of Action has been organized by the Texas Faculty Coalition in partnership with the UT-Austin chapter of the American Association of University Professors-American Federation of Teachers and Black Brown Dialogues On Policy.

Coalition for Liberated Ethnic Studies, The African American Policy Forum, MAS for Texas Schools, Librotraficante, Texas AFT, Texas Freedom Network, Texas Legislative Education Equity Coalition.

Click on the link below to learn how you can join these efforts:

https://docs.google.com/.../1MsCaBPD7k9kWQfOJtwZc8iQ.../edit

And see you on May 3rd!

-Angela Valenzuela

Support Senate Bill 1709: Faculty Equity and Diversity Bill

      We, Dr. Emilio Zamora, Dr. Altheria Caldera, and Ms. Stacy Hernández, Legislative Assistant to Senator César Blanco, appreciate your support for Senate Bill 1709 authored by Senators César Blanco and José Menéndez.

       If adopted, the Faculty Equity and Diversity Bill would require colleges and universities to conduct equity assessments and adopt plans to address pay and representation inequities among minority faculty. The idea originated after eight Hispanic full professors formed the Independent Equity Committee at the University of Texas at Austin and prepared a report demonstrating pay inequities among Hispanic faculty (you may obtain a copy of the report here).

IEC Members in the Texas State Capitol Annex

      In the process of making the Hispanic Equity Report available to the public, the Independent Equity Committee received numerous reports from colleagues in other Texas colleges and universities acknowledging that the problem of pay inequity and under-representation was also present on their campuses. An especially glaring problem is that Hispanic faculty often receive lower pay despite high levels of productivity. In other words, Hispanic colleges and universities throughout Texas are most probably following the lead of the University of Texas in denying Hispanic faculty just remuneration for the high quantity and quality of their scholarly production, relative to their White counterparts.

      If you agree with Senate Bill 1709, please take the time to communicate your support to your senators and the general public. (consult the following website to identify your senator: https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/?lat=30.251357&lon=-97.792964&address=2653%20barton%20hills%20drive&state= ).  You may also wish to share this appeal for support through social media.

      You could state that as public institutions, colleges and universities should welcome standard equity assessments and plans of action. You may also call on colleges and universities to do self-assessments as examples of proper ethical behavior by institutions that serve the public interest. Also, colleges and universities should take the lead on this, otherwise, concerned groups like the Independent Equity Committee will expose inequities as well as their refusal to assume responsibility for truly making our campuses diverse, equitable and inclusive. 

      If you are interested in receiving notices on the progress of SB 1709 or if you wish to offer testimony in support of the bill, Please complete this 6-question Google form. The information you provide will go into a database (spreadsheet). When the bill is on the calendar to be heard by the full senate, we will contact those who agree to be contacted to communicate next steps. This process can move quickly, so we want to prepared!

      We appreciate your support and eagerness to see this bill become a law! If you have any questions about the process, please reach out to Stacy Hernández, the legislative assistant in Sen. Blanco’s office, or Emilio Zamora, E.zamora@austin.utexas.edu, a member of the Independent Equity Committee. 

Feel free to share this appeal for support of SB 1709, the Faculty Equity and Diversity Bill.

       

      

Emilio Zamora, Professor of History

Department of History

University of Texas at Austin

E.zamora@austin.utexas.edu

Altheria Caldera, Fellow

Policy Advocacy, and Community Engagement

Intercultural Development Research Association

Altheria.caldera@idra.org

altheria.caldera@idra.org (P.A.C.E) Education Policy Fellow

Stacy Hernández, Legislative Assistant

Senator César Blanco

Stacy.hernandez@senate.texas.gov

Reference

Independent Equity Committee. (2019, October 8). Hispanic equity report. University of Texas at Austin. https://texasedequity.blogspot.com/2019/10/executive-summary-hispanic-equity.html

I post this blog in support of my colleague, Dr. Alberto Martinez, who has been at the point of the spear in this fight among Latina/o faculty at UT against wage discrimination. This isn't at all a matter of identity politics.  Far from it.  Rather this is against exploitation and under-representation, on the one hand, and about plain and simple fairness, on the other. Do read the Executive Summary: Hispanic Equity Report, UT Austin, October 8, 2019, by the Independent Equity Committee (IEC), or better yet, click here to download and read the entire report.

 

What should concern us are the serious short- and long-term implications for Texas if the research, frameworks, policy-relevant findings and so on are structured out by practices that systematically exclude, under-pay, and marginalize Latino faculty like Dr. Martinez and others. This means that much less of this research will get done at a time that the Latino community is ascendant in our state, as well as nationally.

Thank you for your courageous leadership, Dr. Martinez and Godspeed!

-Angela Valenzuela

Professor sues UT alleging retaliation, discrimination over work on equity

 

By Asher Price

@asherpricePosted Dec 1, 2020 at 4:46 PM

Updated Dec 1, 2020 at 6:23 PM

Alleging retaliation and employment discrimination stemming from his efforts to document pay inequity at the University of Texas, a UT history professor is suing the university in federal court.

Alberto Martínez, a history of science scholar, accused the university and his former department chair of a “relentless campaign” to deter efforts to “correct longstanding, systemic disparities in opportunities and pay for Hispanic faculty at UT” in a lawsuit filed last week in Austin.

“This case is important not only because such retaliation must always be reported and penalized,” the lawsuit says, “but because it involves equity for esteemed Hispanic faculty at a major public university.”

Going deep into interdepartmental politics, the lawsuit discussed alleged differences between Martínez and Jacqueline Jones, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and scholar of race, slavery and class who was also chair of the history department.

After Martínez raised questions about pay equity, Jones appointed Martínez in 2018 to lead a new committee on equity.

The lawsuit suggests the two were soon at odds, however, after Martínez issued a draft report showing pay disparities and lack of promotions to positions of leadership within the department, especially for Hispanic and Black employees.

The suit claimed Jones impeded a final report and considered disbanding the committee.

Jones, the president-elect of the American Historical Association, did not respond to requests for comment. The current chair of the UT history department also did not return a request for comment.

The lawsuit claims, among other things, that Jones falsely accused Martínez of writing disparaging statements about female co-workers.

And it says that “Jones accused Martínez of stating that Jones only gave promotions in the History Department to Jewish faculty members, and that such statements have caused a ‘toxic environment’ and sowed division between Jewish and non-Jewish faculty.”

The allegation “was absurd,” the lawsuit says, “because (a) ‘Martínez’ is a Jewish Hispanic last name, (b) Martínez is one of the only faculty who teaches an entire course on a Jewish person, Albert Einstein, eight times since 2005, (c) Martínez has taught two courses on Scientists and Religion in History, including Judaism, (d) Martínez has taught about the Holocaust in 16 additional courses since 2006, and (e) none of Martínez’s hundreds of students or co-workers ever claimed that he said anything against Jewish people.”

University spokesman J.B. Bird said “the university continues its work to review and address concerns related to faculty compensation.”

“Professor Martínez is a member of the university’s Equity Review Process Consultative Committee where he is in a position to participate in the university-wide initiative to review salary differences, understand bases for differences, and offer feedback,” Bird continued in an email. “We look forward to continuing this important work.”

Bird said the university will address Martínez’s allegations in a response to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified money damages, saying Martínez has suffered “humiliation, embarrassment, emotional and physical distress, and mental anguish.”

Martínez told the American-Statesman that “the actions against me are symptomatic of other negative experiences endured by some Hispanic faculty at UT Austin, who don’t speak up because of fear of retaliation.”

“Time and again I’ve seen Hispanic faculty leave because of what, I believe, is disparate treatment or worse,” he said.

A 2019 report published by a group of UT professors, including Martínez, found that Hispanic faculty members at UT lag behind their counterparts in salary, leadership positions and head counts, according to a recently released report.

The report showed Hispanics in 2017 made up about 7% of tenured and tenure-track faculty and that of the 98 academic departments and equivalent units, only six department chairs were Hispanic.

The report also said Hispanic full professors on average were paid about $25,000 less than their white counterparts, Hispanic associate professors were paid about $10,600 less, and Hispanic assistant professors were paid about $19,600 less.

This story surrounding University of Nebraska-Lincoln Professor Jennine Capó Crucet's talk related to her book at Georgia Southern University is not only disturbing, but also sad and pathetic to the point that that this official statement, in reference to the Medieval practice of book burning,  by the university's vice president for strategic communications and marketing had to be made:

"While it's within the students' First Amendment rights, book burning does not align with Georgia Southern's values nor does it encourage the civil discourse and debate of ideas," Lester told Buzzfeed.

This is horrific and unacceptable, my friends.  We must reject these ways of knowing and being in the world that are openly hostile and denunciatory even toward an invited presenter because they could not stomach her statements about white privilege related to her award-winning book.  We need to call out this comportment not as “white fragility,” but rather as the "white hostility" or "Trumpism" that it is.

All of this argues implicitly, by the way, for a more diverse faculty.  We simply cannot in this day and age be cultivating cohorts upon cohorts of undergraduates without any critical sense of history who do not know how to deal in and with an increasingly complex world.  In fact, these students have not been well served by their higher education institutions and that message somehow needs to get communicated to them.  A diverse faculty is an obvious start.  Requiring students to take Ethnic Studies both in K-12 and higher education is another way.

I was very pleased to see that the University of Nebraska-Lincoln stood up for her.  While a sign of the times, no one deserves this kind of treatment.  I think we should all purchase and read her book in solidarity.

-Angela Valenzuela

Georgia Southern students burn UNL professor's novel following campus discussion about race

CHRIS DUNKER Lincoln Journal Star

Jennine Capó Crucet's award-winning novel "Make Your Home Among Strangers" follows a young Cuban-American woman from Miami as she tries to navigate life inside a predominately white, prestigious New York university.

The author and University of Nebraska-Lincoln associate professor of English and Ethnic Studies was invited to discuss the book that explores race and privilege before a convocation of students at Georgia Southern University, where it was required reading for some freshmen.

But her visit was cut short earlier this week after videos showing Georgia Southern students burning copies of the novel began circulating on social media.

According to the George-Anne, Georgia Southern's student newspaper, students confronted Capó Crucet over what they felt were unfair characterizations of white people in the book.

"I noticed that you made a lot of generalizations about the majority of white people being privileged," the student newspaper reported one student as saying. "What makes you believe that it's OK to come to a college campus, like this, when we are supposed to be promoting diversity on this campus, which is what we're taught. I don't understand what the purpose of this audience was."

According to the newspaper, Capó Crucet responded: "I came here because I was invited and I talked about white privilege because it's a real thing that you are actually benefiting from right now in even asking this question."

The question-and-answer session continued on a congenial note, the George-Anne reported, although some students left the event.

Later that evening, Capó Crucet thanked the university on Twitter, saying she "met some very amazing, brilliant students" and shared moments with some after the tense exchange during the forum.

But a short time later, video of students standing around an open fire burning their copies of Capó Crucet's book began circulating on social media.

Still more students began sending Capó Crucet pictures of torn up copies of her book and accusing her of being racist against white people.

"Are you usually that racist or were you putting on a front to promote your pointless and (expletive) book at my college? Just a question," one female student wrote in a now-deleted tweet. "Work on your ignorance and racism towards white people."

Another student posted a 4-second clip of the book burning, telling Capó Crucet, "Maybe that wouldn't happen if you spoke about your book instead of dissing white people the entire time."

Capó Crucet was scheduled to deliver another lecture Thursday in Statesboro, where Georgia Southern is located, but the school canceled that event.

School officials also moved Capó Crucet from her original accommodations to a different hotel.

That night, she posted a now-deleted video showing her novel being incinerated, adding: "This is where we are, America."

In a statement published Friday, Capó Crucet said she has delivered similar lectures at Stanford University and Albion College, but that "nothing close to the events at GSU has occurred in any of my previous campus visits."

Immediately after the confrontation, Capó Crucet asked Georgia Southern faculty in the room to follow up with the student who questioned her, saying she felt "a compassionate and continuing conversation needed to occur."

Russell Willerton, chair of Georgia Southern's writing and linguistics department, said in a statement Thursday said he was "dismayed and disappointed by the uproar against" Capó Crucet.

"Our department values stories and how they reflect parts of the human experience," the statement reads.

"We also value discussion and debate of important issues from all sides and perspectives. We regret that Capó Crucet's experience in Statesboro ended as it did. We call on students to remain civil in disagreement, even on difficult issues, and to make Georgia Southern University a place that we all can feel proud to represent."

Other departments also condemned the book burning, but John Lester, vice president for strategic communications and marketing, told Buzzfeed that Georgia Southern was not planning to discipline students who participated in the book burning.

"While it's within the students' First Amendment rights, book burning does not align with Georgia Southern's values nor does it encourage the civil discourse and debate of ideas," Lester told Buzzfeed.

Richard Moberly, interim executive vice chancellor at UNL, tweeted his support of Capó Crucet on Thursday night.

"I am proud to be on the same faculty as (Capó Crucet) — I appreciate her important work, as well as her courage," Moberly wrote. "UNL is lucky to have such a talented writer and amazing role model, especially for our 1st gen students."

And in a statement, UNL Chancellor Ronnie Green called Capó Crucet "a highly acclaimed author and scholar," adding her novel invites discussion of the role race plays in society.

Green echoed the statement put forward by Georgia Southern's administration, saying that while book burning is protected speech, it doesn't help foster civil discourse and the exchange of ideas.

"It's unfortunate that an opportunity for an open, engaged discussion devolved into an incident like this," Green said.

In her statement, Capó Crucet said many Georgia Southern students told her how they felt their own stories were reflected in the novel, which she based partially on her own experiences.

Capó Crucet said she wrote the book "as an act of love and an attempt at deeper understanding" and said she hopes Georgia Southern can act to support the students who may feel unsafe after the book burning.

"To think of those students watching as a group of their peers burned that story — effectively erasing them on the campus they are expected to think of as a safe space — feels devastating," she said.

Oct 11, 2019