A letter this week from the NAACP urging Black student athletes to avoid universities in Florida that have dismantled their DEI programs may have far-reaching ripples.
The letter, signed by CEO and President Derrick Johnson and board Chair Leon Russell, asks current and prospective NCAA athletes to “reconsider any potential decision to attend, and compete at a predominantly white institution in the state of Florida.”
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis ended funding of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs across all public colleges and universities in January.
“This is not about politics,” the letter reads. “It’s about the protection of our community, the progression of our culture, and most of all, it’s about your education, and your future.”
Last year, Texas passed a similar law approved by the majority of Republican lawmakers and championed by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. Senate Bill 17, which went into effect in January, ends DEI programs in Texas colleges and universities.
Local African American leaders, like current president of the Dallas NAACP branch Sharon Middlebrooks, believe the NAACP’s push also makes sense in Texas.
“There are certain people that are in office,” said Middlebrooks, “they appear to be working toward the same agenda, to continue to oppress the oppressed. The works of the Dr. Martin Luther Kings, the Malcolm Xs, the Thurgood Marshalls. It is under attack. It's being repealed. Forty years of work is being repealed.”
She said she stands with President Johnson’s call to athletes.
Kevin Felder, past president of the Dallas NAACP and a former Dallas City Council member, fears anti-DEI legislation may reverse long-fought gains in states where such laws have passed.
“I believe that there's going to be a serious backlash in those states and in those programs that are rolling back these programs,” said Felder.
So far, more than 20 states have proposed anti-DEI laws while fewer than 10 have passed them, including Mississippi, North Carolina and Tennessee, among others.
Lawmakers in states that have passed them argue DEI programs are themselves racist and that programs designed to serve students in need should be merit based.
Felder sees a slight-of-hand. He calls Gov. Abbott racist. KERA sought a response from the governor’s office to that comment but hasn’t heard back.
