NC State Senate Passes Bill Banning DEI In Local Government On Juneteenth

Imagine being so racist that you decide to work on a federal holiday? That’s exactly what North Carolina’s state Senate did when they convened on Juneteenth to pass a bill banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in the state government.  

According to NC Newsline, the North Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee made the unusual move of loading the Juneteenth docket with approximately 20 bills, as well as various Republican-led committee meetings. Thursdays are usually light days for the state Senate, as evidenced by the fact that nine of the 50 members were absent from the day’s proceedings. 

Several state government offices, including the North Carolina House of Representatives, were closed in observance of Juneteenth. Not the state Senate, though, because what better day to pass a bill making it harder for Black people to get jobs than on the holiday celebrating when all the slaves were finally freed?

The “Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI” bill specifically targets DEI programs in the state government. 

From The Raleigh News and Observer: 

The bill, titled “Equality in State Agencies/Prohibition on DEI” would ban state agencies from promoting, supporting, funding, implementing or maintaining workplace DEI, including in hirings, dedicated staff positions and offering or requiring DEI training. There would be financial penalties for violating the law.

The bill passed the House along party lines in April, The News & Observer previously reported, with the bill sponsor, Rep. Brenden Jones, saying that “bureaucracy has grown not to serve – but to sort.” The Senate is considering a newer version of the bill.

Republicans in the House need at least one Democrat to vote with them in order to overturn a potential veto from Democratic Gov. Josh Stein. In the Senate, a vote along party lines would be enough for Republicans to override a veto.

The move to pass the bill on Juneteenth of all days was met with criticism both from state Democrats and members of the public. Raleigh resident Maddie Segal brought her two kids to the committee hearing as a history lesson for the holiday. 

“On a day celebrating slaves being freed, I find it absolutely abhorrent that this is what’s being discussed here, especially on a day like today,” Segal said during the period for public comment. She proceeded to call the bill “government overreach dressed as neutrality.”

Discussion over the bill was led by freshman House Republican, Rep. Brian Echevarria, who wasn’t even one of the authors of the bill, but is the only non-white person in the House Republican caucus. Echevarria reportedly struggled to answer questions from Democratic senators Lisa Grafstein (D-Wake), Sophia Chitlik (D-Durham), and Dan Blue (D-Wake) about specific details of the legislation and how it would work in execution. 

Which makes sense considering that he wasn’t even a co-author of the bill, and seems to have been wheeled out by state Republicans simply to put a brown face on some white policy. 

Sen. Blue expressed concern that the legislation, in its current form, would allow anyone in the country to lodge a complaint that could potentially cost the state thousands per case. Sen. Grafstein then proposed that the financial penalties be removed, to which Echevarria declined.

 “Follow up (comment) is to say, ‘Happy Juneteenth, everyone,’” Grafstein replied. This whole situation is awful, but I do applaud Grafstein for treating this absurd spectacle with the complete lack of respect it deserves. 

The move came as President Trump himself observed Juneteenth by posting on Truth Social about there being too many non-working holidays. Which is objectively hilarious coming from a dude who’s already spent nearly a quarter of his second term golfing instead of, you know, working. 

The DEI bill wasn’t the only absurd bill passed on Juneteenth, as the committee also passed House Bill 193, which would allow private school teachers to carry concealed firearms on campus. So to be clear: the North Carolina Senate Judiciary Committee is taking DEI out of the government and putting guns in schools. 

These people could’ve spent their Thursday grilling, chilling, crushing some cold ones, and watching “Friday.” Instead, they chose to debate legislation that does nothing to improve the lives of the people they represent. May that level of hate never reach me. 

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