University of Louisville students protest anti-DEI policies moving in Kentucky statehouse

University of Louisville student Malaysia Green is one of thousands who started their post-secondary path on the Belknap campus this year, though she's now uncertain if she's going to be able to finish her journey thanks to legislation currently making its way through Frankfort.

She was one of more than 50 students, faculty and staff members of the University of Louisville who marched on campus Monday afternoon to protest Senate Bill 6, a bill currently working through the statehouse that would prohibit colleges and universities from requiring students and faculty to "describe the attitude or actions in support of or in opposition to specific ideologies or beliefs" to receive admission, employment, promotions or graduation.

U of L was a natural choice for Green, a Louisville native who has been able to cover her tuition based on the Woodford R. Porter Scholarship. Created in 1984, the scholarship has been historically awarded to Black students from Kentucky or Southern Indiana "who are committed to social justice, diversity and inclusion," as described by U of L's website.

But the current version of SB 6 — which has passed in the Kentucky House and is now headed back to the Senate for concurrence — also bans race-based scholarships. Diversity, equity and inclusion offices and officer positions would also be defunded and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education would be prohibited from approving degrees that require courses containing "discriminatory concepts."

With the bill quickly making its way through the statehouse — and the confusion on what that may mean for public universities across Kentucky — Green isn't sure if she'll be returning to campus after this spring.

"If I lose that scholarship, I don't know if I'll be able to go to school or not," Green said. "It's very disappointing to have to go through this because we're in ... 2024 and it feels like we're fighting for civil rights like we're back in the 1960s or something."

Green's uncertainty over whether this potential piece of legislation would impact her future prompted her and a group of other students to help organize a rally and subsequent march on campus.

Paulette Simms, one of the attendees Monday, recalled feeling astonished and moved by the diversity and expansive support of students of color when she enrolled into U of L's graduate program for social work. Simms said she felt encouraged by her university professors to be part of her community on a personal level, and there were many spaces on campus dedicated to DEI in a way that she hadn't felt on her previous university's campus.

As she plans to graduate this spring, there's a different sort of surprise settling in her stomach — one that tastes bitter as she considers what the state lawmakers' anti-DEI proposal could mean for the university.

"We're moving backwards — not forwards," Simms said.

Some staff members spoke in favor of DEI support at the rallying event, including Ricky Jones, professor in the Pan-African Studies department and regular contributor for The Courier Journal.

"It is good to see students now reigniting the spirit of protest here because we have never gained anything when we have not," said Jones, who openly called on U of L administrators to take a firm stance against legislation targeting a Kentucky university's investment in DEI.

Earlier in the semester, U of L spokesman John Karman released a statement on how the university would continue to monitor these bills and was working with state lawmakers "on legislation that best serves our students, faculty, staff and the greater community."

The response was met with criticism from faculty and students, many echoing their concerns and disappointment at the rally.

About an hour before the rally began, U of L President Kim Schatzel and other senior administrators penned an open letter to students, faculty and staff that clearly denounced anti-DEI legislation.

"As stated in President Schatzel’s message to campus earlier this semester — and it bears repeating — we firmly believe that you cannot deliver a high-quality university education without a diverse classroom and campus, inclusive of all demographics, identities and ideologies," the letter reads. "Only in such circumstances and with such experiences will our students be prepared to foster their own and others’ excellence in a diverse global economy. In short, a diverse and inclusive campus better prepares our students to lead."

More: School choice approved while anti-DEI takes another step in Kentucky General Assembly

The letter states the U of L administration "cannot, without equivocation, support any legislation that limits the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in support of our highest priority – success for ALL University of Louisville students by completing their degrees."

At the rally, Simms noted she had been considering pursuing a job in the DEI field. Now, with graduation soon on the horizon, she's weighing her options alongside the current struggle between some state lawmakers and DEI initiatives — with a potential pivot in mind for her own trajectory.

"It makes me want to get into politics," Simms said.

Reach reporter Rachel Smith at rksmith@courierjournal.com or @RachelSmithNews on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville students protest anti-DEI initiatives moving in statehouse