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Last week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took to social media to announce the official end of DEI, better known as the diversity, equality, and inclusion programs in the state’s public educational institutions.
As a way to honor the significant occasion, the governor posted a video clip to Twitter from the day he signed numerous laws to counteract discriminatory policies in all of the Sunshine State’s higher education public institutions.
“As of July 1st, DEI is over in the state of Florida,” DeSantis wrote on Twitter.
The Florida governor first approved Senate Bill 266 and House Bill 931 back in May to “further Florida’s goal of becoming the number one state for workforce education by 2030,” according to a press release.
SB 266 barred state universities and colleges from using taxpayer funds for “initiatives that promote dangerous political and social activism, such as DEI initiatives,” according to the statement. Its main goal was to stop “woke ideologies” from continuing to infiltrate these institutions.
The legislation further prohibits “programs, majors, minors, curriculum, and general education core courses that violate Florida law regarding prohibited discrimination or that are based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, and privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, and economic inequities.”
Along with prohibiting public funds from being used to promote discriminatory practices under the DEI, DeSantis signed HB 931, which prohibits “political filters that are increasingly used to require political statements and ideological attestations by faculty and students in hiring, promoting, and admissions,” the press release added.
“Florida has ranked number one in higher education for seven years in a row, and by signing this legislation we are ensuring that Florida’s institutions encourage diversity of thought, civil discourse, and the pursuit of truth for generations to come,” the governor said at the time of the signing.
“Florida is taking a stand for empowering students, parents, and educators to focus on creating opportunities for our younger generations. I am happy to have worked with the legislature to get this important legislation signed, sealed, and delivered,” he added.
Both provisions went into effect in Florida on July 1, just two days after the United States Supreme Court declared that racially based affirmative action programs at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina violated the nation’s constitution, RSBN reported. The public came out in force to celebrate the historic victory, praising President Donald Trump.
President Trump celebrated the court’s decision as well, writing on Truth Social, “This is a great day for America. People with extraordinary ability and everything else necessary for success, including future greatness for our Country, are finally being rewarded.”
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