State officials pledged to protect diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives from federal attacks Monday, Sept. 15, in a hearing at the Massachusetts Statehouse.
“Massachusetts will not step back,” said Massachusetts Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler during the hearing. “We will double down on preparing, recruiting and retaining excellent and diverse educators.”
Held by the Joint Committee on Racial Equity, Civil Rights and Inclusion, the informational hearing aimed to “demystify” inclusivity policies and “assess the impact of anti-DEI federal actions.”
“The federal government has begun an unprecedented attack on one of the most foundational tools, which is necessary to ensure individuals of all backgrounds and abilities have access to educational and employment opportunities,” said Elizabeth Matos, chair of the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General’s office, during the hearing. “It’s called fairness.”
President Donald Trump, branding DEI programs as “radical and wasteful,” has signed a spate of executive orders aimed at dismantling inclusivity policies within the federal government and across the country.
Matos said DEI efforts are “still alive and legal and valid” in Massachusetts, claiming inclusivity programs benefit the state’s workforce and schools.
She said companies with pervasive DEI policies are more stable and are “more attractive workplaces for talent.”
“These programs in schools are also essential for ensuring the fair treatment of students in eliminating stigmatization,” she said.
The United States Department of Education has previously threatened to withhold funding from K-12 schools with DEI programs.
“Our country has long fought for all students to have equal access to a public education,” Tutwiler said. “Donald Trump and his administration, since being sworn into office, have attempted to take us back decades, exacerbating real inequities in public education that still exist today.”
If federal education funding is reduced, the state’s schools could face serious financial setbacks.
Massachusetts receives over $2 billion in federal education funding every year, money that would be hard to replace, according to a press release from Governor Maura Healey.
“Two billion dollars could not be found in a seat cushion somewhere here in Massachusetts,” Tutwiler said.
The funding helps low and middle-income students afford college, supports special education and funds teachers’ salaries and benefits in low-income school districts.
“Those dollars are core to providing the services and support for students across all education sectors,” Tutwiler said.
In her testimony Monday, social psychologist Evelyn Carter outlined the definition and goals of DEI, which she says have become clouded.
“Those who are hostile to this work have exploited public confusion, spreading mis and disinformation about what this work is,” she said.
The work surrounding DEI is far from done, Carter said, and many Americans overestimate the country’s social progress.
“The voices of those who are hostile to diversity, equity and inclusion are loud, but I intend for my voice to be at least as loud, if not louder,” she said.
