The American Association of University Women (AAUW) publicly denounced efforts to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at ...
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) publicly denounced efforts to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives at colleges and universities in Iowa and Florida.
Gloria L. Blackwell, Chief Executive Officer of AAUW
The association, which has more than 100,000 members, took aim at state laws which have aggressively sought to dismantle DEI programs at institutions of higher learning.
“Universities are where students go to expand their knowledge and experiences,” said Gloria L. Blackwell, Chief Executive Officer of AAUW. “But politicians in Iowa and Florida are forcing their agenda on higher education, policing what students see and learn and how universities manage their affairs. These cowardly attacks by right-wing state legislatures are a direct response to the progress made by women and people of color.:
Blackwell said that the attacks on DEI are troubling. They come amid a chorus of other associations like the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) who also raised concerns about the attacks on DEI.
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion gave us the 15th and 19th Amendments, expanding the political process to include voices across racial and gender lines by giving people of color and women the right to vote,” she said. “The need for equity and inclusion gave us Title IX, which prohibited sex-based discrimination in educational settings. While many want to make ‘DEI’ into a slur, the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion make us a stronger and more equitable nation.”
Increasingly, more states are cracking down on providing funding to their public institutions that embrace DEI initiatives. That, says, Blackwell, is reason for concern.
“Despite progress, there is still much work needed to break down barriers to full access, opportunity and participation in higher education for all,” she said. “Iowa and Florida’s hostility toward women and people of color is part of a larger trend that reaches all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. AAUW remains committed to our mission of advancing gender equity for women — especially women of color — through education and advocacy.”
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