Before the United States of America became a nation the issues of freedom of speech, thought and religion were fought over for centuries. The Bible says, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so he is,” Proverbs 23:7. To me that says, whatever I think, I will tend to do and be. So, what I think is going to have a huge impact on what I will or will not seek to do.
Today in our nation the battle over being free to speak, think, or express certain ideas rages on. Equality or Equity? Equal Opportunity or Equity controlled opportunity? Inherited rights like freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of religion or you must say this, you must align with these people, you must believe and worship this. It’s your choice. You can choose or let others tell you what to do or think.
So, what about Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), Critical Race Theory (CRT), and Wokeism in our universities and K-12 public schools? This is where the long- term impacts of DEI, CRT and Wokeism will be either abandoned, or if continued, we lose what our forefathers fought and died for in order to create a more perfect union. Today this battle is being carried out in our local school boards, state legislatures, our federal government and our courts, including the US Supreme Court. As evidence of this take a look at what the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty, a Milwaukee non-profit law firm is doing. Here is what WILL recently said on its website and is doing regarding DEI, CRT and Wokeism.
“The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, (WILL) released the following statement in support of executive orders signed by President Donald J. Trump yesterday evening, ending long-standing, unconstitutional programs and policies of the federal government. Trump’s executive orders answered our call to action from last week proposing that he remove all DEI programs within the federal government as well as resolve the pending lawsuits against the former Biden Administration (three of which involve WILL).”
“One new executive order requires federal agencies to identify DEI programs that should be dismantled and to propose whether to settle pending lawsuits within sixty days. Another executive order fully revokes former President Biden’s “Equity Agenda.” WILL specifically recommended these exact actions last week.”
“WILL Deputy Counsel, Dan Lennington, remarked, “Make no mistake, President Trump’s inauguration marks a seismic shift in the American political and legal landscape. Through a series of executive orders, Trump has begun to dismantle ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ programs, ending decades of taxpayer-funded racism in America.”
“In 2025, WILL launched a new comprehensive effort to eliminate “diversity, equity & inclusion” programs in all levels of the federal government. WILL also launched a new webpage to be updated daily to highlight the progress of the Trump Administration on this issue.” See www.will-law.org/roadmaptoequality.
In closing, it is my prayer and hope that “we the people” understand that DEI, CRT and Wokeism may sound good to some people, but they will in fact destroy our rights embodied in the US Constitution and our “one nation under God, Republic.”
Ed Perkins
Grand Chute
