Let's call Gov. Abbott's attack on diversity what it is—Jim Crowism

As former Austin American-Statesman editorial writer, Alberta Phillips, has recently expressed in a statement to the media:

"It should not be taken as fact that DEI policies are illegal or unconstitutional. If any government official says that is the case, then the media should require that the statement be backed exclusively by evidence and facts. As a check on government, the media has an obligation to sort fact from fiction. The facts are that DEI policies are ways of encouraging People of Color to apply for state jobs and admission to state universities. And on the part of state agencies and universities, DEI policies are simply goals — without the force of law or consequences — that aim to move the needle forward so that state agencies, public colleges, and universities reflect the people who pay the tabs to sustain them.” 

DEI policies and practices are precisely what helps keep us from being a system of Apartheid. They also help us to ensure an inclusive university and workplace for veterans and disabled people. With respect to hiring and college admissions, DEI not at all about quotas or hiring unqualified people. It's about consideration for equally qualified people.

Many whites don't like to hear the words "white supremacy." What they seem not to know is how us people of color don't like to hear it either. But that's what this is all about. And that's what "Jim Crowism" has always been about—a morally impoverished and backwards Texas that can't seem to conjure a nourishing, life-giving narrative for the future that benefits us all as a multiethnic, multiracial, rainbow humanity.

Black and brown folks and white allies everywhere have to come together and stand up to this retrenchment of white privilege that is harmful to the future of our state, nation, and planet. The litmus test for leaders is if they can cultivate and inspire a new vision for humanity and the planet without which they are disqualified. 

Here is an Action Item you can take today: We, in Black Brown Dialogues on Policy, are asking everybody to sign the pledge we've posted on our BBDP website to "Stand and Fight for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Higher Education." This will put you into an email roster that will allow you to get our notices going forward.

Another announcement is the establishment of the BBDP Gen Z Council that I expect will become a force to recon with. 

It's all good.

In the meantime get out the Gospel of DEI and how it has made a difference for you on social media and every other means possible.

-Angela Valenzuela

#DEIGospel #DontLetDEIdie

Gov. Greg Abbott launches attack on diversity hiring programs in Texas

Public universities and agencies with diversity, equity and inclusion programs are being manipulated to discriminate, governor claims.

Jeremy Wallace | Austin Bureau | Houston Chronicle | Feb. 23, 2023

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott gives the 'Hook'em" sign during an activation ceremony for the U.S. Army futures Command, Friday, Aug. 24, 2018, in Austin, Texas. The headquarters will be located at the University of Texas Systems Building in Austin. 

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Gov. Greg Abbott has fired a political warning shot at public universities and state agencies in Texas, pushing them to stop using diversity hiring programs and arguing such efforts are a form of discrimination.

As conservative activists push the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn affirmative action programs at colleges, Abbott’s chief of staff sent a letter Monday to Texas public universities and state agencies warning that the concept of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, “has been manipulated to push policies that expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others.”

The letter is setting up a major clash with nearly every public university in Texas, where the benefits of diversity have been championed. The University of Texas, Texas A&M University and the University of Houston have made DEI programs central to their missions.

Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze on Wednesday told Hearst Newspapers that the letter is meant to remind universities and state agencies about the law.

"Both federal and state law make equity quotas illegal," she said. "Equity is not equality. Here in Texas, we give people a chance to advance based on talent and merit."

Advocates of diversity and inclusion measures say Abbott and his staff have it all wrong. 

"Anti-discrimination laws protect all Americans by ensuring that employers do not make hiring decisions based on race, religion, or gender — while diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives work in tandem with those laws to encourage companies to solicit applications from a wide range of applicants, which is legal and beneficial," said Andrew Eckhouse, a lawyer at Kaplan Law Firm based in Austin.

"Contrary to what the governor is implying, DEI initiatives have nothing to do with quotas, screenings, or exclusions," Eckhouse said. "Employment decisions must be non-discriminatory, that is nothing new, yet Gov. Abbott’s letter completely mischaracterizes the role of DEI in employment decisions.”

On its website, Texas A&M’s Office of Diversity declares its responsibility to help academic units “embed diversity, equity, and inclusion in academic and institutional excellence.” 

The University of Texas at San Antonio, through its business school, offers a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certificate Program.

At UT, each college, school and unit has a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion officer as well as a website to highlight the importance of those efforts, a change made after campuswide student protests in 2017 led to the removal of statues of Confederate soldiers like Robert E. Lee.

In the warning letter, first reported on by the Texas Tribune, Abbott's chief of staff Gardner Pate claims such efforts backfire:

“Indeed, rather than increasing diversity in the workplace, these DEI initiatives are having the opposite effect and are being advanced in ways that proactively encourage discrimination in the workplace,” he wrote.

Targeting tenure 

Pate’s letter comes after a high-profile lawsuit last year aimed at Texas A&M University’s hiring practices for college faculty.

A University of Texas at Austin associate professor, who is white, sued the Texas A&M University System on behalf of white and Asian faculty candidates, alleging racial discrimination in a fellowship program intended to improve diversity on the College Station campus. The program sought to hire mid-career and senior tenure-track professors from “underrepresented minority groups.”

The UT associate professor's lawsuit is being led by American First Legal, a group created by Stephen Miller, former President Donald Trump's senior policy adviser. 

The letter also comes as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been increasingly vocal about revoking the status of tenured professors over what they are teaching on college campuses.

“I don’t want teachers in our colleges saying America is evil and capitalism is bad and socialism is good. And if that means that some of those professors who teach that don’t want to come to Texas, I’m OK with that,” Patrick said during his inauguration speech in January after winning a new 4-year term in office.

Patrick, a graduate of the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, also said he wanted “professors who love this country, who love this state.”

Abbott, 65, is a University of Texas graduate who won his 3rd four-year term as governor in November. 

DeSantis goes further

The letter from Abbott's team and Patrick's comments both echo what has been happening in Florida over the last two months as Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has led a conservative takeover of a public liberal arts college in Sarasota.

In just 25 days, DeSantis appointed six new trustees to the New College of Florida board of trustees, who then fired the school president and are set to replace her next week with the former Republican Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.

One of those new trustees is Christopher Rufo, a California native and national activist who has targeted the concept of critical race theory and been a frequent guest on Fox News programs denouncing diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

Former President Trump, before he left office, hit similar themes in warning federal agencies in a memo in late 2020 about employees attending diversity training programs that seek “to undercut our core values as Americans and drive division within our workforce.”

Pate’s letter is more direct warning to agency heads and university leaders that “you have a duty to follow the law.”

“When a state agency adjusts its employment practices based on factors other than merit, it is not following the law,” he wrote. “Rebranding this employment discrimination as 'DEI' does not make the practice any less illegal.”

jeremy.wallace@chron.com

This recent article in the Washington Post is a must-read. This conversation against CRT keeps us from having the more important one of expanding African American, Mexican American, Asian American, Native American and Indigenous Studies, Women's and Disability Studies to the entirety of the K-12 curriculum. 

Among so many other things, these courses illuminate struggles over symbols, difference, and narrative power and who gets to tell what history of Texas, Florida, and the United States. 

The irony of the situation is staggering. 

This is an agenda that is about narrowing curriculum and ensuring thought control ("Don't say gay") in a context that screams for more humane policies where both teachers and their students are getting the tools and resources they need to manage the meteoric rise in knowledge and information over the last several decades to the point of risking getting buried under it.

It's no wonder that so many kids and teachers in school suffer from a great deal of anxiety and depression. So many stressors...

Geez, then you, as a kid, have to split your brain and put up with a backwards, hostile, uncaring curriculum just to make it through your day?! 

How will all the children subjected to such hostility and contempt then be able to do well—that is, to "succeed" in this reduced, dumbed-down, uninspiring way? One possible consolation is that many of them already never had a just and caring curriculum and pedagogy to begin with.

That said, what's different in the current context is that unlike previous generations, our Gen Z youth are within a click of all that so-called "dangerous knowledge" that our governors seek to curb.

It's all so predictable. 

Even if some good things still happen in school, it's an education that our youth will mostly not believe in. Not that it has ever been Nirvana by any stretch of the imagination, but rather that the racial animus embedded in the policy intent is clear and will inescapably show up in the implementing of these retrogressive policies and policy agendas.

We must collectively fight and stop this nonsense. 

Gen Z, you have a major stake in the outcome of these battles.

One good way is to fight back is to advocate for Ethnic Studies. Go before your school boards and engage them in the matter. Get involved and be a voice to reason. Run for office.

Remember that it is a vision for greater peace and justice that motivates and inspires. African American Studies is precisely anchored in these same ways of knowing and being in the world. 

Everyone should at least have one chance in their lives to take an African American or other Ethnic Studies course. They provide the intellectual tools—and thusly, a quality mind—that helps students to understand the world in which they live. A sociology course would also help, but would likely not equally serve as a vehicle for healing and reconciliation, beginning with oneself. 

Within the academy, we totally need to hold onto our Ethnic Studies and Women and Gender Studies programs as these are the spaces within which difference can be discussed in deep and meaningful ways. At their best, they also double as a second home to all of our communities, on an off campus.

One day, I trust, all of our Ethnic Studies programs will simply be called "a good education."

-Angela Valenzuela

DID POLITICS SCRUB ‘SYSTEMIC’ FROM AP AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES PLAN?

Writing and editing the Advanced Placement course framework was a tense exercise in a polarized America

(Illustration by Katty Huertas/The Washington Post; 2022 AP African American Studies; 2023 AP African American Studies; iStock)

By Nick Anderson |Washington Post

Feb. 19 at 6:00 a.m.

A politically charged adjective popped up repeatedly in the evolving plans for a new Advanced Placement course on African American studies. It was “systemic.”

The February 2022 version declared that students should learn how African American communities combat effects of “systemic marginalization.” An April update paired “systemic” with discrimination, oppression, inequality, disempowerment and racism. A December version said it was essential to know links between Black Panther activism and “systemic inequality that disproportionately affected African Americans.”

Then the word vanished. “Systemic,” a crucial term for many scholars and civil rights advocates, appears nowhere in the official version released Feb. 1. This late deletion and others reflect the extraordinary political friction that often shadows efforts in the nation’s schools to teach about history, culture and race.

The College Board, which oversees the AP program, denies that it diluted the African American studies course in response to complaints from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) or his allies. But a senior College Board official now acknowledges the organization was mindful of how “systemic” and certain other words in the modern lexicon of race in America would receive intense scrutiny in some places.

“All of those terms were going to be challenging,” said Jason Manoharan, vice president for AP program development. He said the College Board worried some phrases and concepts had been “co-opted for a variety of purposes” and were being used as “political instruments.” So the organization took a cautious approach to the final edits even as it sought to preserve robust content on historical and cultural impacts of slavery and racial discrimination.

“We wanted this course to be adopted by 50 states, and we wanted as many students and teachers as possible to be able to experience it,” Manoharan said. His acknowledgment underscored the inherent politics behind promoting a course that deals so squarely with race in America.

Documents and interviews with several people involved in the course’s creation, including university professors in the field, show the process was both routine and fraught. While Florida, a major state, raised objections behind the scenes, there is scant evidence tying its complaints to specific changes in the course.

[More states scrutinizing AP Black studies after Florida complaints]

Course developers had long discussions on how many weeks should be devoted to origins of the African diaspora and a student research paper on an elective topic — a back-and-forth typical for academia. Those decisions squeezed time allotted to contemporary issues. But the tense political atmosphere guaranteed the winnowing of lessons on topics such as reparations and movements for Black lives would be second-guessed even if experts deemed it necessary for pacing of the course.

Abbott’s call to axe diversity hiring policies called out by state Black and Latino lawmakers

 No love for Abbott's anti-DEI statement yesterday on Valentine's Day at the press conference at the Texas Capitol. He said it was illegal when it's not. We let him know as much as you can see from this KVUE News report. His office followed saying the following:

"Both federal and state law make equity quotas illegal. The issue is not diversity—the issue is that equity is not equality, and DEI hiring practices conflate the two. Both federal and state law make equity quotas illegal. The issue is not diversity—the issue is that equity is not equality, and DEI hiring practices conflate the two."

I beg to differ. I think we've all known since the Bakke Decision in 1978 that quotas are illegal. I'll leave it at that.

-Angela Valenzuela

#DontLetDEIdie

Abbott’s call to axe diversity hiring policies called out by state Black and Latino lawmakers

Lawmakers in the Legislative Black Caucus & the Mexican American Legislative Caucus slammed his assertion that the use of such policies in hiring is illegal. 

The Texas Gov is slammed for cutting diversity hiring. Photo: Getty Images.

Black and Latino Texas lawmakers showed no love on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, as they condemned Governor Greg Abbott’s recent order to state agencies and universities to kill diversity hiring policies — and his assertion that they are illegal — in a press conference at the state capital in Austin. 

Lawmakers in the Texas Black Legislative Caucus, the Mexican American Legislative Caucus, and representatives from the state chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and faith leaders across the Lone Star State, were a part of the press conference. 

“We will not be complicit in his attempt to use minorities as pawns for his political game,” said Democratic Rep. Ron Reynolds, chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus.

They called the governor’s assertions a “lie” and a “diversion” from the real issues needing attention and requested that all NBA, MLB, NFL, and NCAA games in the state be suspended until Abbott stops. 

“These offices don’t exist to be racist against white people,” said Democratic State Rep. Sheryl Cole. “They exist to foster, affirm, engage and strengthen diverse communities because ultimately our diversity is our strength.”

Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP, said Abbott's efforts are taking Texas back closer to "the Jim Crow era."

“We won’t let Gov. Abbott turn back the clock. We stand on the shoulder of giants…and ask our colleagues to join us in calling out this anti-DEI agenda,” added Reynolds. 

Abbott’s Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick is on board with the new measures, as on Monday, Feb. 13, he announced a list of 30 bills self-labeled as his legislative priorities. 

Along with property tax relief and increasing natural gas plants for further reliability of the power grid, he also laid out his more conservative plans that would ban certain books in schools, restrict transgender student athlete participation in collegiate sports and end gender-transition treatment for youth. 

He added that slashing all “discriminatory diversity, equity and inclusion policies in higher education” as another huge priority — priorities that Reynolds called misguided and merely an attempt to grab appeal from a far-right base. 

“They are code for anti-Black, anti-Asian, anti-LGBTQ, the majority of the state,” Reynolds said. “They are slapping us in the face and saying you’re not welcome here anymore.”

The three-term serving Governor has been a regular on national news in recent years with his Trump-like views on issues, specifically immigration and the border. 

He has been the driving force along with former Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to transport migrants to Democratic sanctuary cities, including Philadelphia, New York City, and D.C. 

Abbott is now calling on all state agencies and state universities to slash all diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in their hiring practices — calling it “illegal.” 

In a memo written Mon., Feb. 5 and obtained by the Texas Tribune, Abbott’s Chief of Staff Gardner Pate told all agency and university leaders that besides it being an illegal act, such DEI initiatives, despite being policies that protect the historically marginalized, discriminate against “certain” demographics that Pate did not specify. 

“The innocuous sounding notion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has been manipulated to push policies that expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others,” Pate wrote.

Pate added that DEI hiring practices violate federal and state employment laws, adding that hiring can solely be based on nothing “other than merit.” It is the latest effort by GOP leaders rallying against policies and academic disciplines considered “woke.” 

“Rebranding this employment discrimination as ‘DEI’ doesn’t make the practice any less illegal,” Pate wrote. “Further, when a state agency spends taxpayer dollars to fund offices, departments, or employee positions dedicated to promoting forbidden DEI initiatives, such actions are also inconsistent with the law.”

DEI policies are guidelines in workplaces, government offices and college campuses on how to further increase representation and fair treatment to historically marginalized communities. The policies can provide resources for people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ community and veterans. When it comes to hiring practices, it can mean setting diversity goals. 

Texas university and state agency leaders have remained mum on the issue since receiving the letter from the governor’s office. University of Houston System Chancellor Renu Khator said the letter was a “reminder” to follow the law. 

Reynolds said that higher education leaders are afraid to come out publicly, saying that he’s received many texts from people afraid to speak out in fear of retaliation but expressed appreciation for the caucus’ concern.

“They feel like they’re going to be the target and they may lose their job or lose funding,” he said.

The two caucuses that met on Valentine’s Day also argued that the ever-changing workforce is demanding more diverse workplaces and employers as the state also grows in diversity. 

“If we remove these opportunities by removing DEI, where will that take our economy?” said Democratic Rep. Victoria Neave Criado. 

“Considering millennials make up the majority of the workforce (39.4% as of 2020), and Gen Z-ers are the most diverse generation in history, it's increasingly important for our state agencies to focus on creating a culture and representation,” said Reynolds. 

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick Announces Top 30 Priorities for the 2023 Legislative Session

Ok, so here you have it. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's Top 30 Priorities for the 88th (2023) Texas Legislative Session.  

Check out Senate Bill 16–Banning Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Higher Education; Senate Bill 17-Banning Discriminatory “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) Policies in Higher Education; and Senate Bill 18-Eliminating Tenure at General Academic Institutions.

So I've heard that they'll clear out of the Senate where we expect this and then head over to the House where the battle will occur. I hope that our House Members will remain strong in valuing our diversity alongside equity and fairness in our state.

Contrary to Gov. Abbott's recent statement, DEI is NOT at all illegal as expressed by BBDP Board Member and former Austin American-Statesman editorial writer, Alberta Phillips, in the press release that BBDP sent out yesterday, 

“[W]e urge the media to be careful about how it covers DEI policies. It should not be taken as fact that DEI policies are illegal or unconstitutional.

If any government official says that this is the case, then the media should require that the statement be backed by evidence and facts, not just someone’s statement.

As a check on government, the media has an obligation to sort fact from fiction. The facts are that DEI policies are ways for People of color to apply for state jobs and admission to state universities. And on the part of state agencies and universities, DEI policies are simply goals—without the force of law or consequences—that aim to move the needle forward so that state agencies, public colleges, and universities reflect the people who pay the tabs to sustain them.”

Well said, Alberta.

I'm encouraged by the passion and commitment that was expressed at yesterday's press conference that you can view here. 

I very much encourage you to read Texas NAACP Chair Gary Bledsoe's statement in response. Watch out sports fans and business leaders. 

Anti-DEI is terrible for business, too. Nuff said.

-Angela Valenzuela

@TeamBlackBrown #TeamBlackBrown #BlackBrownUnity #DontLetDEIdie #GenZ #BlackBrownSolidarity

February 13, 2023

AUSTIN – Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick issued the following statement today:

“Each session, the 31 members of the Texas Senate file thousands of bills. Some are duplicates because members often have similar priorities voiced to them by their constituents. The tradition has been for bill numbers 1 through 20 to indicate the Lt. Governor’s and the Senate’s priorities. In 2017, I increased the low bill numbers to 30. Senators like to get a low bill number because it shows their bill is also a priority of the Lt. Governor and has a great chance of passing. I believe Texans support our priorities because they largely reflect the policies supported by the conservative majority of Texans. Most will pass with bipartisan support.

“This session I could have used 50 low bill numbers because there are so many issues that need to be addressed. Just because a bill does not make the priority list does not mean it is not a priority for me or the Senate. We will pass over 600 bills this session. As I like to say, every bill is a priority to someone, otherwise we would not pass it.

“This year, several of our policy initiatives are already addressed in the budget as opposed to specific bills. One example is Texas border security funding. Since President Biden took office and implemented his open border policies, Texas has stepped into the breach. Texas should not have to use our tax dollars to do the Federal Government’s job, but it is vitally important that we maintain our law enforcement and National Guard presence. If we do not, the border crisis will get much worse.”

Lt. Gov. Patrick’s Priority Bills:

Senate Bill 1 – State Budget

Senate Bill 2 – Restoring Voter Fraud to a Felony

Senate Bill 3 – Increasing the Homestead Exemption to $70,000

Senate Bill 4 – Adding Additional Property Tax Relief

Senate Bill 5 – Increasing the Business Personal Property Tax Exemption

Senate Bill 6 – Adding New Natural Gas Plants

Senate Bill 7 – Continuing to Improve the Texas Grid

Senate Bill 8 – Empowering Parental Rights – Including School Choice

Senate Bill 9 – Empowering Teacher Rights ­­– Teacher Pay Raise

Senate Bill 10 – Adding 13th Checks for Retired Teachers

Senate Bill 11 – Keeping Our Schools Safe and Secure

Senate Bill 12 – Banning Children’s Exposure to Drag Shows

Senate Bill 13 – Protecting Children from Obscene Books in Libraries

Senate Bill 14 – Ending Child Gender Modification

Senate Bill 15 – Protecting Women’s College Sports

Senate Bill 16 – Banning Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Higher Education

Senate Bill 17 – Banning Discriminatory “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) Policies in Higher Education

Senate Bill 18 – Eliminating Tenure at General Academic Institutions

Senate Bill 19 – Creating A New Higher Education Endowment Fund

Senate Bill 20 – Removing District Attorneys Who Refuse to Follow Texas Law

Senate Bill 21 – Removing Judges Who Refuse to Follow Texas Law

Senate Bill 22 – Assisting Rural Law Enforcement Funding – Increasing Pay and Needed Equipment

Senate Bill 23 – Creating A Mandatory 10-Year Prison Sentence for Criminals Committing Gun Crime

Senate Bill 24 – Expanding Alternatives to Abortion

Senate Bill 25 – Creating New Scholarships for Registered Nurses

Senate Bill 26 – Expanding Mental Health Care Beds Across Texas – Focus on Rural Counties

Senate Bill 27 – Creating A New Business Specialty Court

Senate Bill 28 – Addressing Texas’ Future Water Needs

Senate Bill 29 – Banning Local COVID-19 Mandates

Senate Bill 30 – Supplemental Budget

Black Brown Dialogues on Policy (BBDP) Launches With a Fresh Vision for Black Brown Unity—beginning with Support for DEI Policy in Higher Education

Friends:

I am very pleased to say that our Black Brown Dialogues on Policy organization debuted yesterday with a website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts—in solidarity with the Texas NAACP, LULAC, the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, and the Mexican American Legislative Caucus yesterday at the Texas State Capitol, expressing deep concerns with harmful anti-DEI bills. For context, here are Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's recent anti-DEI statements:

Gov. Greg Abbott tells state agencies to stop considering diversity in hiring

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says Texas GOP will 'wipe out' college diversity hiring programs

Anti-DEI House Bills we are challenging: House Bill 1607, House Bill 1006, and House Bill 1046

Anti-DEI Senate Bills we are challenging [that have yet to be filed, but are the governor's priorities]: Senate Bill 16–Banning Critical Race Theory (CRT) in Higher Education; Senate Bill 17-Banning Discriminatory “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) Policies in Higher Education; and Senate Bill 18-Eliminating Tenure at General Academic Institutions

As we are in the process of organizing a Virtual Town Hall that will give voice to diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as support for Ethnic Studies. You can stay current by liking and following all of our social media accounts: website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

You can view yesterday's press conference here.  

You can learn more about us here. 

We're asking everybody to sign the pledge we've posted on our website to "Stand and Fight for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Higher Education."

Below are the news items from yesterday. I applaud the journalists who framed this in terms of Black and Latino—or Black and Brown where this is a large, inclusive, intergenerational, Gen Z-inclusive, intersectional tent. We're all in this together and that's what we seek to promote.

Join the movement!

-Angela Valenzuela, co-convener 

Black Brown Dialogues on Policy

@TeamBlackBrown #TeamBlackBrown #BlackBrownUnity #DontLetDEIdie #GenZ #BlackBrownSolidarity

Black and Latino lawmakers slam Gov. Greg Abbott for order limiting diversity considerations in hiring

The lawmakers called on major sports organizations to not host championship games in the state until the governor rescinds his guidance to agencies and universities.

BY KATE MCGEE FEB. 14, 2023

Black lawmakers outraged at Gov. Abbott's call for state agencies to end DEI hiring

Megan Menchaca

Austin American-Statesman

BY KATE MCGEE FEB. 14, 2023

‘Advancing white supremacy’: Black, Latino lawmakers denounce Gov. Abbott’s DEI stance

The NAACP of Texas called for sports leagues to boycott high-profile events in the state.

Rep. Ron Reynolds, D-Missouri City, spoke Feb. 14 in a press conference held by Black and Latino lawmakers, along with other civil rights groups, criticizing Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for a letter calling for an end of DEI practices at state agencies and universities.(Staff)

Black Latino Lawmaker Slam Gov. Abbott for order Limiting Diversity Considerations in Hiring [youtube video]