ROBERT STEINBUCH: DEI again (sigh)
I received a lot of positive feedback about my vigilance in recently covering--again--progressive resistance to quashing the blatant discrimination of quotas, set asides, and preferences euphemistically called diversity, equity, and inclusion. I wish I could say the topic has run its course. Unfortunately, there's more to report, and it's anything but subtle (just like me!).
Arkansas Act 747 of 2025, sponsored by state Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Jonesboro) and state Rep. Alyssa Brown (R-Heber Springs), mandates that a "local government shall not . . . [e]stablish or implement a diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative," defined as "[a]n office, division, department, or administrative provider of a unit of local government with the purpose of: (i) Influencing administrative, hiring, or employment practices at the local government; (ii) Promoting: (a) Preferences based upon race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin; (b) Differential treatment on the basis of race, color, sex, ethnicity, or national origin." And Act 116 of 2025 separately prohibits affirmative action in state and local entities.
Of course, both statutes rest on the same modest premise that a surprising number of city halls still find radical: Government should treat Arkansans as individuals, not as pigment-and-plumbing entries in a demographic ledger.
The law notwithstanding, guess what the city of Fayetteville is doing--shamelessly promoting DEI doctrine and mandates in multiple over-100 page reports (that the good citizens of that city are paying bureaucrats to propagate). The city's enthusiasm for DEI is not faint. Fayetteville's website is replete with DEI proclamations coupled with vacuous explanations.
Under Fayetteville's "Sustainability and Resilience Department" (you can't make this up!), you'll find the heading "Equity and empowerment." And thereunder, reads "Current Projects and Programs." Here's what the city says:
"The Fayetteville Equity Profile is a comprehensive data analysis of demographic,........
