A group of professors and students filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday against a relatively new law in Alabama that forbids public schools and universities in the state from funding diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
University of Alabama professors University of Alabama at Birmingham students joined forces with the Alabama-based NAACP to sue Gov. Kay Ivey and Alabama university trustees over the law, SB 129, which went into effect last October.
The law forbids public K-12 schools and state universities from compelling a student or employee to personally affirm or adhere to a “divisive concept,” such as white privilege, or require their attendance at a mandatory DEI workshop.
The legislation, SB 129, defines “divisive concepts” as arguments “that individuals should be discriminated against or adversely treated because of their race, color, religion or sex” or that “the moral character of an individual is determined by his or her race, ethnicity or national origin.”
But the lawsuit argues the law essentially restricts teaching on “divisive concepts,” and also bemoans the closure of DEI offices on campuses across the state.
“The freedom to teach, the freedom to learn, and the freedom for students to have rich extracurricular experiences without viewpoint censorship are core foundations of our higher education system and are zealously protected by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution,” the lawsuit states.
AL.com reported that the “lawsuit claims the three UA professors who are plaintiffs have either specifically received threats of discipline from university administrators for alleged noncompliance with SB 129 if they do not alter their curriculum to avoid certain viewpoints and/or fear that they will be accused of violating SB 129 if they do not alter their curriculum to excise certain viewpoints.”
“They have cancelled class projects, changed curriculum, and elected not to teach certain classes as a result of SB 129.”
And U.S. News & World Report reported that a “social work professor said she was threatened with being fired unless she canceled a class project in which students had decided to analyze the potential negative impacts of the new state law. A political science professor said university officials told her that her course on poverty could violate the law because of its ‘perceived focus on learning about systematic racism.'”
Sydney Testman, a black college student and plaintiff, said “I’ve seen firsthand how the removal of initiatives for diversity, equity, and inclusion has harmed the sense of belonging and the quality of education on campus,” according to ABC news.
As The College Fix previously reported, the bill had sparked anger among Democrats and some students, sparking petitions and protests. Some even encouraged student athletes to avoid Alabama schools.
MORE: U. Alabama faculty claim state anti-DEI law restricts how they can respond to racism
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