June should be about celebrating diversity, not eliminating it

Show Caption

• Pride Month and Juneteenth are both in June.
• Senate Bill 1 also takes effect in Ohio in June, clouding diversity efforts with attacks on DEI in universities.
• An petition is circulating to put SB 1 on pause and put it on the November ballot to let voters decide on whether it’s enacted.

The month of June is one that should be spent recognizing diversity in our country, from month-long Pride Month festivities to special events for Juneteenth.

We’ve made strides in our country to make sure people of color and those in the LGBTQ community, as well as other marginalized groups, have equal opportunities. There’s still more work to be done.

But instead of moving forward, we’ve begun to slide back into dangerous territory as diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI) are under attack at both the state and federal level. 

The irony of Ohio Senate Bill 1 taking effect this month does not escape us. This perhaps intentional political move threatens to slash DEI initiatives from universities, among other reprehensible provisions that undermine higher education, at nearly the same time these initiatives are meant to be celebrated.

Indeed, these threats are already taking shape.

Kent State University recently announced it will close its LGBTQ+ Center, Women’s Center and Student Multicultural Center in response to SB 1. It joins Ohio University in doing so and is likely just the beginning as universities receive more guidance on how to stay compliant with the new bill. 

Though this issue is one that divides our nation and, at times, even our editorial board, the majority of us believe DEI initiatives at schools should be supported by the state.

When it comes down to it, it’s the commitment to diversity and making all feel welcome, not the title on an administrator’s door, that makes the difference. We should be striving for initiatives that contribute toward these goals versus add to extraneous spending.

We understand universities are in tough spots. They don’t want to lose funding for all students by defying SB 1, so they’re forced to eliminate resources supporting their minority students.

But we know not everyone arrives at college on a level playing field. Some need assistance financially or academically; others simply need an outlet to find their place in the world and discover themselves. The resources on the chopping block at universities assist in all these areas.

Should young adults be excluded from education, the workforce and economic opportunities simply because they were not born with the same resources as others? This is not only cruelly unfair, but also a recipe for an economic disaster − especially considering Ohio’s population and workforce have been kept afloat in recent years by immigrants, many of whom would benefit from DEI initiatives kept in place.

We know some feel that state spending should prioritize, and perhaps even be reserved solely for, academics. We agree that academics need to take a front seat.

Even with that in mind, DEI is still important. Consider the way diversity and inclusion play out in academics to prepare students for the real world after they graduate. Exposure to people with different backgrounds and lived experiences is an important part of the college experience, preparing students to thrive in workplaces where not everyone will look like them or have the same beliefs.

This is especially crucial in fields such as health care and psychology, when students are specifically taught how to work with patients from various backgrounds. With this education at risk, it’s likely health disparities among low-income and minority patients in Ohio (a state with one of the poorest maternal and infant mortality rates in the country with staggering disparities among racial groups) will only be exacerbated.

Public universities are here to serve the entire state, not just a select few. This includes Black, Hispanic and other minority students. It includes LGBTQ+ students. It includes women and nonbinary students. It also includes students across income levels and religious backgrounds. 

The idea that liberal indoctrination has been occurring at universities − and that SB 1 is here to save students from that − is a farce. University boards of trustees are appointed by the state governor, and Ohio has had Republican leadership nearly since 1991, with only brief Democratic representation from 2007 to 2011. 

SB 1 is only here to undermine higher education, and it’s doing that by putting marginalized groups of students in the line of fire. Meanwhile, all students suffer with other SB 1 provisions, like one preventing professors from teaching laid-out controversial topics such as climate policies and marriage, which further limits students’ ability to reason and navigate life after college.

What better way to show support for these marginalized groups, and education as a whole, than by signing a petition to put SB 1 on pause?

An effort to do so is currently circulating the state. If the effort gathers nearly 500,000 signatures by June 25, the bill won’t be enacted and will instead wind up on the November ballot to put the decision into voters’ hands.

It’s a lofty goal, to be sure. But Mark Vopat, who headed up the effort along with other professors at Youngstown State University, said he’s “cautiously optimistic” about how signature collection is going − especially after they easily surpassed their initial goal of 1,000 signatures by gathering more than 6,000.

The bill’s website, ohsb1petition.com, has a full list of places and dates where the petition will be available to sign in person, with new locations being added regularly. Vopat said the group is also continuing to accept volunteers and donations to help fund printing and scanning petitions.

In the meantime, we should also be exploring alternative ways to fund these programs, such as through private donors, to assure they’re not only retained but also successful in promoting inclusion.

It’s undeniable that our nation’s diversity is in large part responsible for its exponential growth and prosperity. It makes sense for the economy. It makes sense for society.

It’s time we stop fighting what continues to make our country great and embrace it. 

This piece was written by Akron Beacon Journal Opinion and Community Engagement Editor Theresa Bennett on behalf of the editorial board of the Beacon Journal. Editorials are fact-based assessments of issues of importance to the communities we serve. These are not the opinions of our reporting staff members, who strive for neutrality in their reporting.