Statement from Indiana Civil Rights Leaders on the Passage of SEA 202
We write this statement to express our deep disappointment in our elected leaders who, faced with the clear discriminatory implications of SEA 202, still chose to impose a bill on the citizens of Indiana that we have no choice but to call out as racist. It will negatively impact faculty of color, the climate of our universities, and our traditions and economy. Regardless of political persuasion, all of us have witnessed this week the remarkable news of the national NAACP urging current and prospective Black college athletes to consider withholding
their athletic talents from Florida. In a statement accompanying the letter, national NAACP
President and CEO Derrick Johnson said:
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion are paramount ensuring equitable and effective educational outcomes. The value Black, and other college athletes bring to large universities is unmatched. If these institutions are unable to completely invest in those athletes, it's time they take their talents elsewhere.”
Much has been made of the harsh sanctions that SEA 202 would impose on all faculty, and the termination of a system of tenure system that has served Indiana universities well for over 200 years. But Pastor David Greene, President of Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis, pinpoints a more basic problem with the bill: “In what it targets—diversity, equity, and inclusion—and who it targets—Black university faculty—SEA 202 is clearly racist.”
From the start, legislators seeking to impose their values and perspectives on the rest of the state have been disingenuous about the nature and aims of the bill. Far from being a defense of freedom of speech, the term intellectual diversity is widely recognized in ultra-conservative circles as being a coded dog whistle for attacks on liberals and the civil rights movement. The bill is part of a 28 state campaign being waged by a well-funded
national movement to eliminate all training and services on diversity, equity, and inclusion from higher education. SEA 202 will:
• Prohibit the use of the terms diversity, equity, or inclusion in hiring, promotion,
and reappointment for faculty and students.
• Require Indiana institutions of higher education to report all expenditures on
diversity, equity, and inclusion to the state.
• Mandate systems of surveillance, encouraging any student who objects when an
instructor teaches about racism and injustice to report that faculty to a board who
may reprimand, demote or fire that professor. These sanctions and punishments
will fall disproportionately on faculty of color.
• Propel a mass exodus of faculty from our state, similar to the resignations Florida
universities are already experiencing in response to its new racially
discriminatory policies. University initiatives to increase faculty and student
diversity will face severe challenges as prospective faculty and students of color
learn what they can expect here in the wake of 202.

The national NAACP’s call to Black athletes to avoid Florida sends a clear message that racism and discrimination are not without consequence in the 21st Century. Tragically, SEA 202 will put our state on a trajectory towards the policies of Florida, where universities summarily fire of all diversity, equity and inclusion staff for the crime of providing services to students of color. In a state recognized for its dedication to college
athletics, it goes without saying that a similar letter from the national NAACP to Black athletes counseling them to avoid Indiana would be catastrophic.
Like all Hoosiers, we are strong supporters of our college athletes and the proud traditions they represent. In the face of national attention to the unprecedented proposal to boycott Florida collegiate sports, we are stunned that the General Assembly and Governor would rush SEA 202 into law, seemingly unconcerned about the devastating impact it could have.
Such blatant inattention to the discriminatory implications of a bill harkens back to a time in our history when Indiana legislators steadfastly maintained a hierarchy of bigotry that allocated privilege according to the color of one’s skin. Whatever intent its author and sponsors claim for SEA 202, it is patently obvious that this bill will chill speech about injustice and discrimination, and will drive faculty and students of color away from
considering or remaining in Indiana. Simply put, SEA 202 sets Indiana firmly on a backward path towards a state where, under the force of law, some of us thrive and some will suffer.
Freedom of speech and the right of all students to see themselves as fully represented on
their campus are goals that civil rights advocates have long fought for. But the heavy -
handed and indisputably racist approach of SEA 202 must be recognized as an ineffectual and ultimately corrosive means for creating change. Any possible gains that might accrue from this legislation pale in

comparison to the damage it will most certainly cause to Indiana’s citizens of color, its civil rights climate, and its traditions.
The legislature and Governor may not fully recognize the discriminatory and racist implications of SEA 202, but the citizens of Indiana do. Widespread and intense opposition to this mean-spirited silencing of an entire segment of our population will not end with its passage.
As advocates for those who have been and remain the object of prejudice, discrimination and bigotry, we are deeply committed to the ongoing struggle against individual and institutional racism, and will not cease in our efforts until SEA 202 is overturned.
Sincerely,
Sadie Harper-Scott, President, NAACP Indiana Conference
Tony Mason, President & CEO, Indianapolis Urban League
Pastor David Greene, President, Concerned Clergy of Indianapolis
Rev. Ivan Douglas Hicks, Founding General Secretary, The Ministerium
Rabbi Aaron Spiegel, Executive Director, Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance