Alabama Fights for Freedom. Defending higher education means defending SB 129.

James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | October 1, 2025 | Stephanie Smith

[karpov]

The Alabama Policy Institute (API) is dedicated to improving the lives of Alabamians by promoting public policy that honors the principles of free markets, limited government, and strong families. From this foundational perspective, we see Alabama’s Senate Bill 129, which restricts mandatory Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and offices in public entities, as a vital piece of legislation that deserves to stand up to judicial scrutiny.

SB 129 was signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey (R) in March of last year. The core of the law is not to censor, discriminate, or whitewash but to restore balance between individual liberty and government overreach in education. This aligns directly with API’s mission, which asserts that government should not seek to take power away from the people. The only winners in government policy decisions should be the citizens and taxpayers of the state.

Government governs best when limited; freedom declines as government’s power increases. SB 129 embodies this principle by preventing state agencies, including public universities, from using taxpayer funds to compel individuals to affirm or adhere to certain concepts. These concepts, as defined in the law, often include the idea that an individual is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive due to his or her race or sex.

Mandatory DEI programs often fall into this category, requiring students and employees to participate in surveys or trainings that promote a specific ideology based upon Critical Race Theory. Such mandatory programs are a clear example of government overreach and compulsion and an absence of diversity of thought. SB 129 doesn’t prohibit students or faculty from discussing issues of diversity, but it rightly holds that the state should not compel taxpayers to fund these activities or require or coerce any individual to participate in them.

[No name given]

DEI needs to D-I-E already!