Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) once famously declared that "Florida is where woke goes to die." Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) has taken a similar stance with the Lone Star state. Ahead of the November 5th election, staunch conservatives are praising Governor Abbott for "rejecting DEI" and "Keeping Texas Free."
In a new advertisement from Building America's Future, an organization dedicated to a "brighter future" in the United States of America, Governor Abbott is celebrated for pushing back against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the state. According to the advertisement, DEI is "taking over our schools, our politics, and even our financial institution."
Billed as an organization framework that aims to promote fair treatment and full participation of all people, conservatives have denounced the effort as a tactic to cause division. As the advertisement states, DEI is "dividing Americans by race, gender, sexual orientation."
Earlier this year, Texas senators held a meeting to ensure that public universities and colleges throughout the Lone Star state were in compliance with Senate Bill 17, which requires that Texas public universities disband DEI offices by 2024. Texas Senator Brandon Creighton (R), who opposes DEI, led the discussion in May, affirming that he believes DEI has only divided college campuses.
In a statement, Katie Miller, a Senior Advisor to Building America's Future, further decried DEI while thanking Republican governors for their continued efforts "to dismantle DEI."
“DEI policies directly undermine the values that make this country great - the American belief that hard work and integrity define your success, not your skin color or identity," Miller said. "Building America’s Future thanks the Republican Governors who are standing up for common sense and fighting back against the radical left’s push for DEI in all parts of our society, and hope more Governors will join the fight to dismantle DEI.”
