A group of professors and students from public universities in Alabama has lodged an appeal against a state law that prohibits diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and bans endorsement of what lawmakers term 'divisive concepts' related to race and gender. The measure, which came into effect in October 2024, is part of a broader push by Republican legislators across the United States to curtail DEI programmes on college campuses.
The Alabama law forbids public schools and universities from using state funds for any programmes or curricula that endorse 'divisive concepts' concerning race, religion, gender identity and religion. Instructors are also barred from 'encouraging' individuals to feel guilt based on these identities. US District Judge David Proctor upheld the law, ruling that a professor's academic freedom does not override a public university's authority over classroom content.
Proctor wrote that the law does not banish all teaching or discussion of these concepts, permitting classroom instruction that includes 'discussion' of the listed concepts provided it is given 'in an objective manner without endorsement'. The appeal follows a July 2024 directive from the Department of Justice mandating similar changes on public school campuses nationwide.
Antonio Ingram, a lawyer for the plaintiffs from the Legal Defense Fund, argued that the law's vagueness on what constitutes endorsement leaves professors vulnerable to frivolous investigations and restricts their ability to present vetted research. He warned that the law could turn universities into 'mouthpieces of the state' used for propaganda.
Dana Patton, a political science professor at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and a plaintiff, said the law forced her to alter curricula she had taught for decades. She recounted that five students had complained her honours programme curriculum conflicted with the law, raising fears of misinterpretation. 'It's just safer to not teach certain things and to avoid potential repercussions,' she said.
