Greene County Democrat

Category: General News

  • Newswire : Ben Crump calls NNPA, Black press to save Black people

    Attorney Benjamin Crump

    By Aswad Walker, Houston Defender

     

    Many African Americans have expressed worry about a potentially perilous four years under President Donald Trump. To that point, nationally renowned attorney Ben Crump called for an often-under-appreciated force to come to Black people’s rescue – the Black press.
    Specifically, Crump called on The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), a national association of African American newspaper publishers, to be Black people’s “north star.”

    “As we come upon this new year, now more than ever, we’re gonna need the leadership of the NNPA to lead our Black community,” said Crump, who viewed that leadership coming in the form of providing unfiltered, truthful hard news to combat potential dangers.

    Crump’s NNPA call

    “To all the [NNPA members] and executives across the country, I say, now is our time to stand up and be counted. History will ask the question, where were you when they tried to roll back our civil rights, when they tried to destroy Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and when they try to say to our children that Black history doesn’t matter? Where were you,” he stated.

    Crump added that NNPA members must be ready to confront individuals, Black people, lawmakers and others who turn their backs on the needs of the Black community.
    “This time in history, we must challenge [the] souls of Black people every opportunity we get. Because there will be some people who would take the path of least resistance, and we have to be ready to call them out,” he said.

    Crump is not the only one sounding the alarm about Trump’s actions. Even before Crump’s charge to Black media, multiple Black media members have used their platforms to keep the general public, and Black people specifically, up to date on the barrage of Trump executive orders impacting Black people.

    Trump-era challenges

    New York Times–bestselling author, TV and film producer, and former CNN political commentator Keith Boykin, recently spotlighted the eight different goals of the federal DEI program Trump demonized and ended.

     Data collection, to give us a better understanding of who is and isn’t in the federal workforce
     Paid Internships, which provide valuable opportunities and experience for people from underserved communities 
     Recruitment, so that the government doesn’t just hire the usual suspects but posts job announcements in places where other people can see them, 
     Professional development, so that once people are hired they can continue to expand their skills and become better workers,
     Fair treatment of people with disabilities, so that they can get a job and find appropriate accommodations,  LGBT fairness, so that spouses and families of LGBT employees get the same benefits as other families do, Pay equity, to review government policies, hiring, and salaries to make sure that women and people of color aren’t being paid less to do the same jobs, and 
     Opportunities for formerly incarcerated individuals, to review barriers so that qualified job applicants who have served their time get a fair shot at getting a job.

    “These are not radical, illegal, or immoral ideas,” said Boykin. “These are calls to the highest principles of America, with the stated goal that “all employees are treated with dignity and respect.”

    Like Boykin, and true to Crump’s call, Word In Black reporter Jennifer Porter Gore has reported on Trump’s moves that carry with them potentially deadly ramifications for Black people.

    “In a flurry of executive orders signed just hours after he took office, President Donald Trump rescinded a Biden administration order on prescription drugs — a move that could hike drug prices for millions of Medicare and Medicaid enrollees,” reported Gore. “At the same time, Trump also reversed Biden’s efforts to make it easier for people to enroll in Medicaid or to get insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act.” 

    That Trump move could prove fatal on a large scale for the just over seven million Black people who have health coverage through Medicare.

    Another Black press member, Roland Martin, recently discussed how many of the Project 2025 projections are already coming to pass, including Trump’s move to end birthright citizenship – an addition to the U.S. Constitution that granted citizenship to formerly enslaved Black people and their future kin born in the U.S.

     A different kind of danger to Black people was alluded to via a social media post celebrating Trump’s Jan. 20, 2025 inauguration by the Proud Boys, an identified white domestic terrorist organization. The group known for threatening and engaging in violence against Black people posted: “There are no more safe spaces.” By the end of his first week in office, Trump had pardoned all of the January 6th insurrectionists, including the Prod Boys leadership.

    Crump told NNPA members during his address that Black people can’t rely on mainstream media to keep us informed about weighty issues like those mentioned.
    “There’s a fourth branch of government. It is called the independent press. And I’m not counting on MSNBC. I’m not counting on CNN. I’m not counting on Fox News. Me and my house, we will count on the NNPA to be our fourth branch of government. To make sure that we get information that is hard-hitting facts and it’s not watered-down, it’s not orchestrated, it’s not manipulated. But it is the information to help us be unapologetic defenders of Black life, of Black liberty, of Black culture,” said Crump.

    Crump added that the NNPA has the power to “well arm” Black youth with intellect, diplomacy and strategic thinking to protest the prison industrial complex, voter suppression, denial of access to quality healthcare and denial of access to capital.

     

  • Newswire : After uproar, Tuskegee Airmen video to be added to Air Force training

    The U.S. Department of Defense, and newly confirmed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, were scrambling Sunday to undo the removal of a Tuskegee Airmen video from Air Force training seminars. 

    The video of the legendary Black Air Force pilots was removed in the wake of President Donald Trump’s executive order eliminating all diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government. Outrage over the removal has been swift and strong.
     
    Alabama Reps. Terri Sewell and Shomari Figures called Saturday for the immediate reinstatement of the video and the associated lesson on the Tuskegee Airmen’s accomplishments. Figures called the removal “pathetic, disgraceful, and disrespectful, not only to the brave fighter pilots who saved the U.S. in World War II, but to the City of Tuskegee and the entire State of Alabama. 

    “It is a slap in the face of the heroic Black men who risked and gave their lives on the front lines in defense of a country that still made them sit in the back of the bus when they returned home.”

    Sewell said it was an affront to the entire country.   “To strip them from the Air Force curriculum is an outrageous betrayal of our values as Americans. Their heroism is not ‘DEI.’ It is American history,” she said.

    On Sunday, Alabama Sen. Katie Britt joined them in calling for the lesson to be reinstated, but called its removal “malicious compliance,” presumably on the part of the Air Force. 
    The video and lesson, however, were part of the Air Force’s DEI training program, which sought to educate current servicemen and women about the contributions of all people to the Air Force. 

    Britt’s social media statement on the issue drew a response from Hegseth, who said the DOD is “all over it.” He went on to say that the decision “… will not stand,” and that would be immediately reversed. 

    By Sunday afternoon, the Air Force released a statement to the San Antonio Express News, which originally reported the story of the video’s removal, stating that the video would be added to the Air Force’s new recruit training program on Monday. 

    Congresswoman Sewell issued this statement, after the video was reinstated, “While I am relieved that our collective calls have forced the Trump Administration to reverse course, the removal of the Tuskegee Airmen from the Air Force curriculum should have never happened in the first place. We should all see the Trump Administration’s attacks on DEI for what they really are—an attempt to whitewash our history and devalue the contributions of African Americans.
     
    “Throughout the next four years, we as Americans will need to remain especially vigilant against attacks on Black history, and as elected officials, we should be prepared to call them out. I hope we can continue to do so in a bipartisan manner.”

  • Eutaw City Council approves sale of surplus property

    By John Zippert, Co-Publisher

    The Eutaw City Council met for its regular monthly meeting on January 14, 2025. All members were present. The Council agreed to sell some property that it had declared surplus at a prior meeting or at this meeting.

    The Council agreed to declare a tenth of an acre adjacent to the water tower on the National Guard property as surplus in order to sell it to Alabama Fiber Network for $3,500. They plan to use the land to build a middle mile interchange facility to bring broadband to Greene County for ISP last mile providers to connect to bring fiber to individual homes and businesses.

    Later in the meeting the Eutaw City Council voted to offer to sell the Robert H. Young Community Center (formerly Carver School) to the Greene County Commission for $300,000. The Center had been declared surplus because the city could not afford to maintain the facility. The Commission has thus far not responded to the offer.

    The City Council agreed to a payment plan to contribute $30,000 per fiscal year ($2,500 per month) to support the E-911, for dispatch of emergency services. The plan also includes back payment of $15,000 owed for the prior fiscal year. Councilman Jonathan Woodruff has been pushing for enactment of a payment plan for E-911. He also serves on the E-911 Board of Directors.

    The council had a discussion of budgetary compliance relative to personnel in the approved budget. Councilman Woodruff asked why Mayor Johnson had continued to employ staff not covered in the budget instead of laying them off as required by the budget. Mayor Johnson said the employment and termination of staff was “day-to-day operations” under her office. She said she amended the budget to allow her to retain rather than layoff needed staff by shifting funds allocated in the budget but staying within the overall budgeted amounts. Several councilmembers did not agree with the mayor, but they will continue to monitor the budget and expenses to stop any operating deficits.

    Councilman Woodruff informed Mayor Johnson that he had seen 3 city workers, in a city vehicle, on Christmas eve, in Demopolis, doing personal shopping. The Mayor said they went to Demopolis to pick up a Christmas tree for City Hall. Woodruff said the employees picked up the tree the day before and that they were using a city vehicle for personal business which is prohibited by state law. Woodruff said the employees were endangering the city’s insurance coverage and disobeying the law. Mayor Johnson said, “We are addressing this issue with employees to prevent it from happening again.” Woodruff said he was not pleased or satisfied with the mayor’s response to his questions.

    The Council discussed an ordinance (2025 -2) to raise the salaries of the mayor and the council, which will come into effect, after the next city elections (August 2025) and newly elected city officials are seated. The resolution for the ordinance was tabled because the monthly amounts of the salary increases were not properly calculated in the resolution.

    In other business, the Eutaw City Council:

    • Tabled consideration of a motion on the manhole behind Ms. Suzette Quinne’s home because full ownership information on the sewage system was not established.

    • Tabled request for a meeting of the Eutaw Planning Commission on the advice of Legal Counsel.

    • Approved Proclamation of Human Awareness and Prevention Month.

    • Approved United Purposes, as a non-profit, to use R. H. Young gym, free of charge, for a pre-valentine social for senior citizens on February 7, 2025.

    • Declined to approve travel for Assistant Police Chief, William Smith, for the FBI-LEEDA Conference in Ruston, Louisiana for January 12-17, 2025, since the
    Assistance Chief did not apply for travel expenses on a timely basis before the event.

    • Agreed to pay all bills.

    The meeting was adjourned after some remarks by the Mayor, Council members and the public.

  • Elder Spiver Gordon and the Alabama Civil Rights Freedom Movement sponsor annual Dr. King Commemorative Programs

    Mrs. Mary McInnis, keynote speaker at the MLK, Jr. Women’s Program, is presented The Dorothy Heights Freedom Award by Elder Spiver Gordon. Also  shown: Rev. Lynn Finch pastor of First Baptist Church.

    Alabama Civil Rights Freedom Movement extends appreciation to Rev. Kelvin Cockrell at MLK, Jr. Gospel Program.

    Rev. Samuel Ezell, keynote speaker at the MLK, Jr. Unity Freedom Breakfast, is presented the Medgar Evers Freedom Award by Elder Spiver Gordon.

    The family of the late John Gordon, Civil Rights Leader and radio personality, receives the Medgar Evers Freedom Award on his behalf.
    Alabama Civil Rights Freedom Movement recognizes ‘Godly Men’ at MLK, Jr. Unity Freedom Breakfast.

    Alabama Civil Rights Freedom Movement recognizes ‘Godly Women’ at MLK, Jr. Women’s Program.

    Representative Curtis Travis is presented the MLK, Jr. Freedom Award at the annual youth program.



  • Hall is sworn-in as District 1 Constable

    Thursday, January 16, 2025, Deangelo M. Hall was sworn in as a Constable of District 1. He is 37 years old and grew up with his mother and three lovely siblings in the small town of Union. He graduated from Greene County High School in the class of 2006. He has two children that he loves dearly. He’s the proud owner of Alabama Tactical Bodyguard/Security, founded in 2011. His hobbies are spending time with family, camping, fishing, and going to the firing range. “I’m honored to fulfill this position as Constable of Greene County, District 1,” he stated. Shown above Deangelo Hall is sworn in by Probate Judge Rolonda Wedgeworth with his mother Yvonne Robinson holding the bible. 2nd photo: Hall is surrounded by family and friends.

  • Mayor Johnson announces completion of project to re-pave West End Avenue

    Mayor Latasha Johnson together with (L to R) Commissioner Tennyson Smith (District 2), City Council members Valerie Watkins and Suzette Powell announce completion of project to resurface 1.374 miles of West End Avenue, from Lower Gainesville Road to Highway 11 (Boligee Street). This street is heavily trafficked due to housing complexes. The State of Alabama under the Rebuild Alabama Act contributed $316,671.81 toward the project. The City of Eutaw contributed $66,671.81 in matching funds and $47,000 in engineering costs for a total contribution of $113,671.81 to complete the project. S. T. Bunn was awarded the contract to do the project. Former City Council member Jacqueline Stewart (District 5) was instrumental in pushing for the City of Eutaw to do this project in her district.

  • Newswire : Birthright citizenship and other Trump executive actions likely to face pushback from the courts

    By Lawrence Hurley, NBC News

    WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s plan to roll back the constitutionally protected right to birthright citizenship is just one of several contentious executive actions that are likely to face pushback from judges and could be struck down by the Supreme Court.

    Other policies that could be legally vulnerable include a plan to invoke an 18th century law called the Alien Enemies Act to round up and deport certain immigrants, legal experts said. Efforts to re-allocate congressional funding to build a border wall and refusing to spend money appropriated by Congress for environmental policies would also most likely be challenged.

    Civil rights groups and Democratic attorneys general are likely to sue over a number of Trump policies. In fact, lawsuits were filed challenging Trump’s proposed Department of Government Efficiency within minutes of his taking the oath of office.
    But not all lawsuits are created equal, and many will fail.

    That is especially the case if Trump is merely rescinding positions taken by President Joe Biden and federal agencies follow the letter of the law in doing so. It is where Trump administration officials intend to invoke new or previously untested theories that they are most likely to lose, even with a Supreme Court that has a 6-3 conservative majority with three Trump appointees.

    “I expect the Trump administration to face substantial pushback from the courts when it takes illegal actions that are properly challenged in court,” said Jonathan Adler, a professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

    Birthright citizenship

    Legal scholars on the left and the right have long understood birthright citizenship to be required under the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.  “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States,” the amendment says.

    Enacted after the Civil War, the amendment was conceived to ensure that former slaves and their children were recognized as citizens.  The consensus on its meaning over the years has not stopped some anti-immigration advocates from pressing an alternative interpretation.

    Trump has adopted those arguments in his executive order, focusing on language in the amendment saying birthright citizenship accrues to those who are “subject to the jurisdiction” of the United States. The language means children born of parents who did not enter the country legally can be denied citizenship, the argument goes.
    However, most legal experts say that language refers only to people not bound by U.S. law, usually foreign diplomats.

    The Supreme Court has never directly ruled on the issue, but in an 1898 case, called United States v. Wong Kim Ark, the court ruled that a man born in San Francisco to parents who were both from China was a U.S. citizen.

    “We will sue imminently, and I have every confidence we will win,” Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said Monday. Last month, he told NBC News he would be the “first to sue” if Trump went ahead with his plan.

    The American Civil Liberties Union filed its own lawsuit Monday night.

    Thomas Wolf, a lawyer at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, said the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to “defy the plain text of the 14th Amendment” and overturn precedent that has been on the books for more than a century.

    Other immigration policies

    Birthright citizenship is not the only immigration-related issue that will end up in court, as Trump announced a whole series of executive orders on the issue. One of them is the “Remain in Mexico” policy that was implemented in his first term, which prevents people seeking asylum at the southern border from entering the country while their applications are processed.

    The Supreme Court never ruled on the Remain in Mexico program during Trump’s first term. It did issue a decision in 2022 allowing Biden to unwind it.

    Alien Enemies Act

    Trump is on similarly questionable legal ground with his executive order that paves the way for him to use the Alien Enemies Act, which was enacted as part of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798.

    The order directs officials to “make operational preparations” in case Trump decides to invoke the law, which enables the president to detain or deport citizens of other countries when the United States is at war. It played a role in the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

    But as legal experts have pointed out, it can be invoked only during a time of war, which could limit its availability to Trump, who said Monday he wanted to use it to detain members of drug cartels.

    Ilya Somin, a professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, wrote Monday that the Alien Enemies Act “cannot be used in our current situation” because the nation is not at war. Although some Republicans have argued that there is an “invasion” at the southern border, that would not be enough to trigger the law, he said.
    The Alien Enemies Act and birthright citizenship plans “are the two [Trump policies] most likely to be invalidated,” Somin added in an email.

    Using federal funding

    Issues with federal funding are also likely to be litigated, with the outcomes uncertain.
    During his first term, Trump sought to divert military funding appropriated by Congress to help build a wall along the southern border. That was because Congress had not appropriated money for the wall, leading to a legal fight over the power of the president to decide how money is spent.

    Under the Constitution’s Appropriations Clause, Congress, as is often said, has “the power of the purse.”

    Trump is set to revive and expand on this fight in two ways.
    First, he appears ready to resume his fight to finish constructing the border wall, which could lead to some of the same legal battles as before.  The Supreme Court never decided in Trump’s first term whether he could re-assign money for construction of the wall. It had taken up a case on the issue but dismissed it as moot once Biden took office in 2021. Earlier in the litigation, the court did allow some of the money to be spent.

    Another Trump proposal is to refuse to spend money Congress allocated for specific purposes, potentially as it relates to environmental programs that were approved as part of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. That would trigger another legal fight — this time over the Impoundment Control Act, a 1974 law that requires the executive branch to spend appropriated funds.

  • Newswire : A forward march for MLK In the new Trump era

     MLK monument in Washington, D. C.

    By April Ryan, BlackPressUSA.com Washington Bureau Chief and Chief White House Correspondent

    “Today hits differently,” says Democratic Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett who decided to observe the National Martin Luther King Jr. holiday away from the 60th Presidential inauguration of Donald John Trump.

    A large swath of the 62 members of the Congressional Black Caucus who were invited to the ceremonies chose to observe the National King Day away from the nation’s capital. “Today, unlike any King Day before, I’ve truly searched my soul for his strength and praying for an ounce of his political prowess,” according to the outspoken Texas lawmaker who was a co-chair of the Kamala Harris Presidential campaign last year. The Harris presidential campaign ended in defeat on November 5, 2024, with Donald Trump being named the 47th President of the United States.

    If Dr. King, a civil rights icon, had lived; he would have been 96 years old on January 15th of this year. The irony of the day honoring the civil and human rights leader is that it is shared with the 60th presidential inauguration ceremony in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building. 

    Historically, the second inaugurations of Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama took place on MLK Day in 1997 and 2013. There were some democratic hopes that Kamala Harris could be a repeat of today’s swearing-in history. A few months ago, some Kamala Harris campaign staffers believed the then-Democratic presidential candidate would have been sworn in today by Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson on this King Day.

    Since the 15th of this month, there have been many celebrations honoring the life and civil rights history of Dr. King. One was at Riverside Church in Harlem, New York Rev. Mark Thompson, host of “Make It Plain,” and NNPA Global Digital Transformation Director, remembered Dr. King by saying, “his memory calls us to transcend all of the things we are most concerned about today.” Dr. King, who was killed in 1968 by an assassin’s bullet, challenged authority at the highest levels to achieve equality for African Americans in this nation like voting rights and civil rights. Thompson warns in this new political era, “rather than relax or be discouraged we should…continue to hold the Office of the President accountable.”

     

  • Newswire : Biden pardons Marcus Garvey, others in one of his final acts as President

    Marcus Garvey

    By Stacy M. Brown,NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent

     In one of his final acts in office, President Joe Biden posthumously pardoned Marcus Mosiah Garvey Jr., a seminal figure in the civil rights movement, whose advocacy for Black nationalism and self-reliance left an indelible mark on leaders like Malcolm X and movements across the Black diaspora.

    Born on August 17, 1887, in Saint Ann’s Bay, Jamaica, Garvey was the son of a stonemason and a domestic servant. His journey to becoming a leader began after traveling to Latin America and studying in London, where he was influenced by Pan-African nationalism.

    Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1914, advocating for Black nationalism through African history and cultural celebration. His ambitious efforts included the establishment of the Black Star Line, a Black-owned passenger line designed to facilitate the “back to Africa” movement, and various economic enterprises like restaurants and shopping centers to foster Black economic independence. Despite facing relentless criticism and legal challenges, including a controversial mail fraud conviction in 1923 that many believe was politically motivated, Garvey’s vision and tenacity spurred a global movement.

    Biden’s broad act of clemency also included others like Don Scott, the current Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, who transformed a past drug conviction into a catalyst for advocacy in criminal justice reform. Ravi Ragbir, an immigrant rights activist; Kemba Smith Pradia, a former drug offense convict turned prison reform advocate; and Darryl Chambers, a Delawarean who now studies and writes about gun violence prevention, were also granted clemency.

    Biden also granted clemency to Leonard Peltier, a leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Peltier has served 50 years of a life sentence in Federal prison for alleged shooting an FBI agent in a confrontation at Wounded Knee. Peltier has never wavered in asserting his innocence.

    Garvey’s legacy, though marred by controversies, including his interactions with white supremacists and criticism from Black leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois, has continued to inspire countless individuals within the Nation of Islam, the Black Power movement, and the Rastafari movement. Many, including most Congressional Black Caucus members, said Garvey’s posthumous pardon serves not only as a correction of historical injustices but also as a powerful affirmation of his enduring influence on Black empowerment and self-determination.

    The White House proclaimed that Biden’s term has been distinguished by a robust commitment to civil rights. Officials said the commitment is evident in significant legislative achievements and proactive executive actions to foster racial equity. His administration pursued an ambitious equity agenda through legislation like the American Rescue Plan and executive orders to dismantle systemic barriers.

    Administration officials noted that, as Biden prepares to leave office, his record on equity and justice, marked by these recent pardons, is further proof of his unwavering dedication to building a more inclusive America. They said Garvey’s pardon not only rectifies a historical wrong but also powerfully reaffirms his enduring legacy—a legacy that continues to inspire a movement for dignity and self-determination among Black communities worldwide.
     

  • Newswire : The president of the Alabama NAACP said a state law banning DEI and divisive concepts was targeted to hurt minority students, and it’s working. 

    Benard Simelton, Alabama NAACP State President

    By John Moon, Alabama Political Reporter

    The Alabama State Conference of the NAACP believes an Alabama law that went into effect in October that eliminates diversity, equity and inclusion programs on college campuses and restricts what professors can teach on matters of race is purposefully harmful to minority students and that the law serves no benefit to white students. 

    Benard Simelton, president of the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, told the Alabama Politics This Week podcast that his organization filed a federal lawsuit against the new law because it has already proven harmful to students on college campuses in the state. 

    “This lawsuit is to address what we’re really considering the illegal action by the state to take away some of the things that were offered to minority students on the campus of University of Alabama and other campuses across the state,” Simelton said. “It’s essentially eliminating the opportunity for these students to have access to programs that will help them succeed in college. That can be anything from a physical space where they can join together and communicate and talk and come up with plans to just funding that goes to these students because they are a student organization on the campus of the University of Alabama – on the campuses of universities across the state.”

     The NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union of Alabama filed the lawsuit on behalf of Simelton’s organization, and on behalf of several students and professors at the University of Alabama and UAB. In addition to raising questions about the legality of blocking DEI programs, the lawsuit also claims that the new law encroaches on the First Amendment rights of students and professors by banning the teaching of “divisive concepts.” 

    Simelton said “divisive concepts” is a code word for topics that delve into sensitive matters of racial history, particularly where a more accurate and thorough history of slavery, Jim Crow and other discriminatory practices are tied to the causation of poverty, incarceration rates and homelessness. 

    But he said the NAACP’s primary concern, at least in the immediate future, is ensuring that minority students – many of whom can feel overwhelmed and out of place on a college campus, resulting in academic struggles – get the reasonable assistance they need to feel welcome and comfortable. 

    “We are hoping that the state relooks at this bill, relooks at this law and at least goes back to modify it to where it does not impact students and faculty the way that it is,” Simelton said. “The DEI programs at these institutions have been a tremendous help to students, students of color. And to take that away takes away a part of what makes a student’s experience at a university worthwhile. They want to come there and get a good education, but you’re taking away some of the things that help them to matriculate and to make it through these universities.”

    Simelton also said that his organization could find no evidence — and that no evidence has ever been offered by lawmakers — that white students were harmed, denied resources or otherwise inconvenienced by the DEI programs on college campuses. 

    The state’s anti-DEI law prohibits universities, public school systems and state agencies from sponsoring DEI programs. That includes classes, training, programs and events where attendance is based on a person’s race, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin or sexual orientation. In addition, the law prohibits certain divisive concepts, including that a person “should feel guilt because of their race or that fault, blame or bias should be assigned to people based on race, religion, gender or national origin.”

    In practice, however, the law has been a “nightmare,” according to complainants named in the lawsuit. Among several examples of overreach, a social work professor said she was threatened with termination if she didn’t agree to cancel a lesson in which students studied the negative impacts of the anti-DEI law. 

    To listen to Simelton’s interview and for more political news and rational discussions, you can listen to the Alabama Politics This Week podcast at its website or subscribe on all podcast platforms.