In recent years, Oklahoma, like many other states, has seen unprecedented incursions on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) by government leaders. This comes after several opponents of DEI sparked claims that public school curricula are divisive and discriminatory.
On Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed an executive order banning public funds from being utilized for DEI efforts at state agencies, including state-funded educational institutions.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters applauded Stitt for this decision, adding that “DEI should rightly be called discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination.”
Walters is now taking measures to ensure the state’s K-12 institutions do the same.
Frankly, it’s disappointing to see local leaders harshly characterizing an ideology that they can’t adequately define, putting an end to something they truly don’t apprehend.
Luckily, Oklahoma City University’s private/non-profit status shields the campus community from these attacks.
What’s unique about DEI is its lack of uniformness across the board, allowing it to be applied differently anywhere.
This is why DEI can look different from school to school and even in several other settings.
What matters most in DEI is hiring highly competent individuals to address specific matters, therefore championing adaptability in leadership, but more importantly, encouraging the ability to build positive relationships in a distinctive community.
My personal experiences with DEI have been positive, although I generally understand many of the concerns of others.
Like the average person, I rarely agree with everything I’m taught.
However, I validate the response of being open-minded, not to be confused with being easily swayed, when attempting to respect others I care about or work closely with.
It’s the very reason that DEI efforts in many spaces are constantly navigating ways to work best for all people.
That said, I believe we should continue establishing methods of DEI that are even more comprehensive for everyone, working together to improve efforts and not tear them apart.
Identifying attainable goals that are reasonable for all people promotes more productivity rather than prioritizing one voice over another.
To say that DEI is unnecessary is to say that the grounds on which it was founded hold no validity.
We must work hand in hand to create and reach a common goal for the sake of all people!
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