Panelists discussed diversity, equity and inclusion and what pushback against it means for the state at a Saturday Texas Tribune Festival panel.

The panel, centered around recent anti-DEI efforts such as Senate Bill 17 — which banned DEI practices and offices at public Texas universities — featured Peniel Joseph, director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, Rafael Anchía, a Democratic state representative of Dallas and Laura Murillo, President and CEO of the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Krissah Thompson, managing editor of The Washington Post, moderated the discussion.

When asked about the impact of Senate Bill 17 on UT, Joseph said the University is “no longer a welcoming space.” Since January, UT has dissolved its Division of Diversity and Community Engagement — including resources like the Gender and Sexuality Center and the Multicultural Engagement Center — and fired over 60 employees who previously held DEI roles.

“This kind of book banning, anti-DEI, anti-so-called woke legislation is just the beginning,” Joseph said. “It’s the tip of the iceberg. They’re coming for all of us — and that’s the state house, that’s Paxton, that’s this governor. The fact that we might have the first Black woman president, (first) South Asian woman president, means that they’re coming for vengeance in the next legislative session.”

Anchía said he believes this anti-DEI legislation was “born out of the politics of fear” starting in 2016. 

“Oftentimes we see people, because of fear, advocating against their own best interests, voting for people who do not have their own best interests in mind,” Anchía said.

He said many conservatives use the term DEI to express a “qualitative discount.” For example, he said when people call presidential candidate Kamala Harris a “DEI candidate” it is used in a derogatory way to imply she is not prepared or qualified.

“You hear this in the popular narrative from the right,” Anchía said. “Likewise, they use DEI to suggest in the workplace … that you only got to where you got because of these special programs that gave you an advantage.”

When asked about how the results of the presidential election will impact debates around DEI, Murillo said the chamber does not endorse candidates, but looks forward to working with the winner of the election to “get to a place where we can respect one another again.” She encouraged voters to educate themselves and show up at the polls.

However, Joseph said he believes a Harris win could further polarize the state because of gerrymandering and the environment in the Texas legislature. Anchía said he recently filed a bill to end gerrymandering and at the local level, works to ensure independent redistricting commissions, but also believes voters have the “power to change our situation today” and can “win statewide.”

“What you need to tell young people today is (to) lean into that fight like hell, because it’s worth it — because the state is worth it,” Anchía said. “Because this country’s worth it.”