Alabama's Universities: A Racist Haven For Students?

In 2024, Alabama passed a law that banned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in public colleges, local school boards, and state agencies. This law also allows school staff to be terminated if they teach divisive concepts. This has raised concerns about how discussions about race and racism will be handled in educational institutions in the state. In the same year, Black students at the University of Alabama received racist text messages, which caused outrage among the students and their parents. These incidents raise questions about the level of racism present in Alabama, particularly in its educational institutions, and the steps being taken to address it.

Racist text messages sent to Black students

In 2024, Black students at the University of Alabama were outraged after receiving racist text messages. The messages, sent from an unknown account, told students that they had been "selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation". The text also instructed students to "be ready at 1:00 p.m. SHARP with your belongings".

The messages were reported to have been received by Black students in several states, including New York, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee. Many of the texts were labelled as being sent from "A TRUMP SUPPORTER". While the specific language of the messages varied, they all followed the same basic script, with some even including the first name of the recipient.

The University of Alabama released a statement saying that they were aware of the "disgusting messages" and that they had been reported to the authorities. The university encouraged students who received the messages to reach out to the Office of Student Care and Well-Being for support.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization, also condemned the messages, saying that they were a "public spectacle of hatred and racism that makes a mockery of our civil rights history". The FBI is aware of the offensive text messages and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities regarding the matter.

Alabama's anti-DEI law

Alabama's anti-DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) law, SB129, bans public universities, local school boards, and state agencies from allocating resources to or sponsoring DEI programs or offices. The bill also prevents staff, students, and faculty organizations from hosting DEI events and teaching what it defines as "divisive concepts". These "divisive concepts" are defined by the legislation under a wide-ranging and vague criterion.

The bill states that no state agency, local board of education, or higher education institution may compel students, employees, or contractors to affirm these concepts, including through training, orientations, or coursework that "advocates, acts upon, or promotes divisive concepts". It also allows for employees found in violation of the legislation to be disciplined or terminated.

The law has been met with opposition and criticism, with a federal lawsuit being filed by professors at the University of Alabama and students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who claim that the law violates the 1st and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit describes the bill as a censorship measure that prevents them from learning, teaching, and engaging in classes and programs on diverse viewpoints and topics. The Alabama State Conference of the NAACP is also a plaintiff in the lawsuit.

The law has led to the closing of DEI offices and the removal of DEI resources on university campuses, including the shuttering of the offices of the Black Student Union and a queer resource center at the University of Alabama.

Censorship of learning, teaching, and engaging in classes and programs on diverse viewpoints

In Alabama, a group of students and educators in higher education filed a federal lawsuit challenging Senate Bill 129 (SB129), a censorship bill that hinders their ability to learn, teach, and engage in public university classes and programs related to diverse viewpoints and topics. These topics include matters concerning race, racism, sexism, homophobia, structural inequality, and social justice that are not favoured by state-elected officials with no expertise in higher education.

SB129, which went into effect in October 2024, also targets and restricts programs, offices, and events related to the state's definition of "diversity, equity, and inclusion" ("DEI"). Since the passage of SB129, Black professors and students, LGBTQIA students, and other students of colour have experienced various harms, including censorship of teachings and discussions involving race-based and sex-based inequalities, restrictions on university funding for student organisations, and the removal of inclusive campus spaces.

The plaintiffs in the case, including Alabama public university faculty, students, and the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP, argue that SB129 violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by imposing restrictions on educators' speech and the information students can access. They also claim that the bill is vague and ambiguous, making it difficult for educators and students to understand what is prohibited, thereby violating their rights to Due Process under the Fourteenth Amendment. Furthermore, the complaint alleges that SB129 violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment as it intentionally discriminates against Black faculty and students based on race.

The lawsuit challenges the state's censorship of important discussions about race and gender inequalities and its negative impact on DEI programs, which are essential for fostering understanding, inclusion, and belonging on campus. By restricting access to diverse viewpoints and topics, SB129 impedes the ability of students and educators to engage in transformative learning experiences and address the lingering impact of white supremacy in Alabama.

Alabama's history in the fight for civil rights

Alabama has a long and complex history in the fight for civil rights, with the state playing a key role in the American Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. This movement sought to address the racial injustice and hatred faced by African Americans across the country, and Alabama was a site of many pivotal events.

During the first half of the 19th century, Alabama's economy was heavily dependent on cotton production and slave labour. The state became the 22nd state to join the Union in 1819, and by that time, about one-third of its population were slaves. The international slave trade was banned in 1808, but the demand for slave labour led to illegal slave runs until the eve of the Civil War. In 1861, Alabama and six other states seceded from the Union, fearing that President Abraham Lincoln would abolish slavery. Alabama was a key supplier of soldiers, food, and munitions during the war, and with the Union's victory in 1864, the state surrendered, and slavery was abolished.

Following the Civil War, segregation prevailed throughout the South, and Alabama passed black codes limiting the freedom of former Black slaves. The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and other white supremacist groups responded violently to federal attempts to influence the state's constitution. In the 1870s, white Democrats gained power in the Alabama legislature and passed Jim Crow laws that further entrenched racial segregation and rolled back voting rights and other protections for Black citizens.

The modern Civil Rights Movement in Alabama gained momentum in the 1950s with Rosa Parks's refusal to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery bus. This sparked the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott, led by the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. In the early 1960s, the Freedom Riders protested segregated bus terminals throughout Alabama, facing violence and drawing national attention to racial hatred in the state.

The movement continued with the 1963 Birmingham Campaign, led by King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). This campaign included sit-ins, marches, and boycotts of stores to desegregate Birmingham, which was known as the most segregated city in America. In June 1963, the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa desegregated, and in September of that year, white supremacists retaliated by bombing a Birmingham church, killing four Black children.

In 1965, the battle for civil rights in Alabama reached a pivotal moment with the Selma to Montgomery March. This series of protests culminated in "Bloody Sunday," when unarmed protestors were brutally beaten by police in Selma. The media coverage of this event sparked outrage across the nation, leading to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

While Alabama's history is marked by racial injustice and segregation, it is also a state where civil rights legends made their stand, awakening the nation to the need for change. Today, Alabama's universities continue to grapple with issues of racism and diversity, with recent reports of racist text messages targeting Black students and lawsuits challenging the state's anti-diversity laws.

The impact of Alabama's anti-DEI law on HBCUs

Alabama's anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) law, SB129, has had a significant impact on the state's HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). The law bans public funding for DEI efforts in schools and colleges, restricts the teaching of "divisive concepts" related to race, and requires public colleges to designate restrooms based on biological sex. This has caused concern and uncertainty among HBCU students and faculty, who rely on inclusive curricula and campus spaces designed for marginalized students.

The law has led to the closure of DEI offices and the cancellation of class projects and curriculum changes at HBCUs. HBCU students have also suffered harm outside the classroom due to the loss of on-campus spaces and funding for student organizations. The law's restriction on teaching "divisive concepts" related to race has made it difficult for HBCU faculty to teach about topics such as race, racism, and structural inequality.

The impact of the anti-DEI law on HBCUs has been compounded by the state's history of racism and the ongoing experiences of racism faced by Black students. For example, Black students at the University of Alabama have received racist text messages, and HBCUs in the state have received similar messages. The Southern Poverty Law Center has called these messages a "public spectacle of hatred and racism that makes a mockery of our civil rights history."

The anti-DEI law has been criticized for undermining the very purpose of HBCUs, which were created with equity in mind. Lily McNair, the former president of Tuskegee University, an HBCU in Alabama, has expressed concern that the law will erase the history of slavery and racism in the United States and hinder discussions about race, gender, and sexuality.

The impact of the anti-DEI law on HBCUs has led to legal challenges, with UA professors and UAB students filing a federal lawsuit claiming that the law violates the 1st and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit argues that the law censors important discussions about racial discrimination and undermines support for student groups and university programs created to address the ongoing effects of racial discrimination. The outcome of this lawsuit remains to be seen, but it underscores the significant impact that Alabama's anti-DEI law has had on HBCUs and their students.

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