Arizona Bill Would Ban Race-conscious Organizations on Public Campuses: Students attending Arizona’s public schools, community colleges and universities may be restricted from operating race-based organizations on campus following a proposal recently approved by a state legislative panel.
According to media reports, the measure would prohibit the operation of student groups such as the Black Business Students Association (BBSA) at Arizona State University, Native Americans United at Northern Arizona University and other organizations “based in whole or in part on race-based criteria.” Critics of the measure say it threatens diversity-related initiatives and attacks necessary minority student-led organizations. However, Rep. John Kavanagh, R-Scottsdale, a supporter of the new measure, says groups that incorporate ethnic or racial identity are “self-defeating” and “self-destructive” for students.
The measure would also prohibit Arizona public schools from including any courses, classes, or school-sponsored activities deemed contradictory to the values of American democracy or Western civilization. According to various reports, the new proposal stems from a conflict involving an ethnic-studies course in the Tucson area, which some critics have referred to as “separatist” and “unpatriotic.”
