Students And Professors Fight Back Against Alabama’s DEI Restrictions

Just two weeks after the University of Alabama ceased support of two student run magazines out of fear of running afoul of state and federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) restrictions, a lawsuit has been filed by a group of students and professors. The plaintiffs from public universities across the state are asking an appeals court to halt the state's law banning DEI.

State law prohibits public schools and universities from using state funds for any programs or curriculum that endorse what Republican lawmakers term “divisive concepts” related to race, religion, gender identity and religion. Instructors are also prohibited from “encouraging” a person feel guilty because of those identities.

The state law forced state funded higher education institutions to shutter campus DEI offices.

Just after his inauguration, President Trump issued Executive Orders and guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), ordering the dissolution of DEI programs. The U.S. Department of Education issued guidance barring colleges from weighing race in any decision-making or promoting diversity efforts.

Both state and federal mandates define DEI as a "Divisive Concept", leaving institutions of higher education in a quandary over what will and will not be enforced. The UA website contains an extensive discussion of the issue.

U.S. District Judge David Proctor allowed the October 2024 state law to remain in place, ruling that a professor’s academic freedom does not override a public university’s decisions about the content of classroom instruction.

Dana Patton, a plaintiff who teaches political science at UA, said in an interview that the state law led her to change curriculum that she has taught for decades. She stated the law is so effectively vague that there is fear of misinterpretation.

UA issued a statement concerning the ending of support for Alice, a magazine aimed at women, and Nineteen Fifty-Six, a magazine focused on Black lifestyle and culture. In it UA stated, the suspension of the two magazines is an attempt to be compliant with a memo released over the summer by Attorney General Pam Bondi. The school has since announced it will support development of a publication that represents all voices and cultures.