To the editor:

The juxtaposition of two stories in a recent issue of the paper was noticeable. One story told of Langston Hughes’ experience as a young Black boy in Lawrence, and the other told of the Kansas Legislature’s drive to expunge DEI-CRT from state-funded universities, the focus being on KU. People probably think that Lawrence, what one former colleague ruefully called “The People’s Republic of Lawrence,” has a racial past like what Hughes experienced. Today, our collective acceptance of openly racist practices — segregated bathrooms, movie theaters, etc. — is not what it once was, the Legislature still seems intent on keeping the subject on their docket. And in all the public discourse on DEI, it’s not quite clear to me what part of DEI is so objectionable. Diversity, despite us clearly being a diverse nation; equity, which does not mean the dog whistle of quotas and hiring the unqualified; or inclusion, which means we all get a chance to excel. Adding Critical Race Theory, which isn’t being taught in Kansas schools or colleges as far as I know, just sows more confusion, fear, and resentment. Kansans and Americans are better than that. The Legislature should know that and thus should focus its efforts on topics of real concern – health care availability in rural communities, the state of public schools, and the plight of Kansas farmers given the effects of global warming and persistent drought conditions. Those are issues Kansans can get behind.

David L. Teska,

Lawrence