Utah recently joined Florida, Texas, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Tennessee in having laws on the books restricting or banning Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts. 25 other states have introduced more than 70 bills targeting DEI at public institutions. Additionally, more than 150 bills in 35 states were introduced aiming to restrict access to library materials, and to punish library workers who do not comply. The American Library Association reported a record-breaking number of attempts to ban books in 2023.
The backlash against 2020 is in full swing.
The Sankofa Impact team experiences the backlash in a number of ways. Companies and institutions that were aggressively reaching out for programming in 2020 and 2021 have gone silent. This aligns with our friends in DEI who have been downsized or eliminated. Program participation, once teeming, has dropped precipitously. This aligns with the fear and fatigue that comes when forces in power belittle movements toward justice. Come by our office and we will share more stories.
The history of racial progress in the United States can be defined, in some ways, by advance and backlash. The abolition of slavery met with the dismantling of reconstruction. Black wealth and military service in the early 20th century met with a campaign of racial terror. Gains made during the Civil Rights era met with assassinations, gerrymandering, and decades of racist legal rulings. And so it goes.
After the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, everyday people hit the streets. Millions called for change. The response? Empty statements leading to book bans, “woke” has become pejorative, and the very notion that historically marginalized people be at the decision making table is under attack.
Here’s to the everyday activists who refuse to be moved by backlash. To all the librarians, DEI professionals, educators, students, nonprofit and business professionals who remain hopeful in the face of fear and doubt. And here’s to the Sankofa Impact team who shows up, day in and day out, speaking the unvarnished truth about our shared history, bringing us a little closer to the collective liberation of all people.
