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The Trump administration has intensified its battle against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives since returning to office. On February 14, it issued a sweeping directive warning schools and universities to dismantle DEI programs or face severe funding cuts. The directive, known as the “Dear Colleague Letter,” orders institutions to halt any practice that treats individuals differently based on race, setting February 28 as the deadline for compliance.
As the DEI debate continues to unfold in the U.S. education sector, students at the University of Louisville recently marched across campus to protest proposed legislation aimed at cutting DEI programs. According to WLKY, eliminating these programs could jeopardize scholarships that many students rely on to complete their degrees.
During the protest, students chanted, “Education is a right, that is why we have to fight,” while others wrote slogans addressed to legislators on the South Plaza. The demonstration opposed a House bill that, while prohibiting discrimination based on religion, race, sex, color, or nationality, would also ban DEI policies—which the bill’s sponsors have labeled as misguided, according to WLKY.
In a further escalation, the Trump administration has launched an online portal encouraging citizens to report DEI practices in public schools. This move signals a broader effort to dismantle DEI policies across American institutions, targeting what the administration sees as ideological indoctrination in education.
With federal funding at stake, colleges and universities face a difficult choice. Some are quietly adjusting their policies to avoid scrutiny, while others are doubling down on their commitment to inclusivity, despite the risk of federal backlash.