Florida Bans DEI In Public Colleges As DeSantis Continues His War On ‘Woke’

The Florida Board of Education announced that it is banning public colleges from using state and federal funds for diversity, equity and inclusion programs ― the latest move by the GOP-controlled state to crack down on efforts to address race- and gender-related inequities in higher education.

On Wednesday, the board said it has implemented “strict regulations” to limit the Florida College System’s use of public funds for DEI programs, activities and policies. The decision applies to all 28 of the state’s college campuses, including some that have substantial Black and Latine populations.

The board defines “DEI” as “any program, campus activity or policy that classifies individuals on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, gender identity or sexual orientation and promotes differential or preferential treatment of individuals on the basis of such classification.”

But actual DEI professionals work to help organizations correct inequities that affect marginalized groups, such as addressing accessibility issues for disabled people and drafting reports on potential discriminatory practices related to hiring and pay.

“Higher education must return to its essential foundations of academic integrity and the pursuit of knowledge instead of being corrupted by destructive ideologies,” Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz said in a statement on Wednesday.

“These actions today ensure that we will not spend taxpayers’ money supporting DEI and radical indoctrination that promotes division in our society,” he continued.

DEI has become a popular boogeyman for Republicans as they aim to turn academic institutions into places of censorship and conservative ideology. GOP lawmakers have introduced legislation meant to gut