Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin is advising Black student-athletes to avoid attending colleges and universities in Alabama if a controversial anti-DEI bill becomes law.
The Alabama Senate is considering SB 129, which will prohibit public schools and universities from having diversity, equity and inclusion programs or offices. The Senate Committee advanced the bill on Wednesday.
“To the parents of minority athletes who are helping their children decide if they want to play sports at those institutions: Would you be cool with your child playing at schools where diversity among staff is actively being discouraged?”
birmingham mayor randall woodfin
The proposed bill “would prohibit certain public entities, including state agencies, local boards of education and public institutions of higher learning, from maintaining a diversity, equity, and inclusion office or department or sponsoring any diversity, equity, and inclusion program.”
Mayor Woodfin responded via social media that he “will have no problem organizing Black parents and athletes to attend institutions outside of Alabama where diversity and inclusion are prioritized” if the bill passes.
Woodfin also called out parents, asking if they would be comfortable sending their children to schools actively discouraging diversity among faculty and staff. He criticized the state for trying to make it “illegal for institutions of higher learning to promote diversity and inclusion.”
The proposed law would also prohibit teaching that slavery and racism align with America’s founding principles. In addition, it bans suggesting members of any race, religion, sex or ethnicity should feel guilt or bias due to their identity.
The bill’s sponsor claims it would not restrict teaching history. However, Woodfin and other opponents argue it would severely limit diversity and inclusion efforts. Woodfin is preemptively urging Black students to look elsewhere if the law passes.