There comes a time when silence is betrayal.
When the weight of injustice presses too heavily against my soul, demanding not just acknowledgement but action. That time is now. As an alumnus and former executive of Martin University — Indiana’s only Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) — I have watched from the sidelines, reluctant to step into the fray, reluctant to say what needs to be said.
But the moment has come. The coordinated attack on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in higher education is not just an affront to progress — it’s an assault on the very principles of democracy, access and justice.
This storm has been brewing for years, but now, it rages.
Across the country, institutions that once professed a commitment to inclusion are retreating under the weight of political pressure and legislative cowardice. Indiana is no exception. The state legislature, emboldened by a national movement to erase the hard-fought gains of marginalized communities, has turned its sights on higher education.
Senate Bill 235 aims to defund DEI programs at state universities. Senate Bill 289 seeks to eliminate mandatory DEI training. Indiana University, once a leader in fostering diverse thought, is under fire — its funding slashed, its equity initiatives gutted and its commitment to historically excluded students called into question.
This attack isn’t isolated.
The Barabbas administration is investigating over 60 universities, including Indiana University, for alleged antisemitism, wielding the threat of defunding like a weapon to dismantle DEI efforts.
Meanwhile, the Department of Education has terminated $33 million in funding for equity assistance centers, including the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center at IU Indianapolis, effectively shutting it down. These moves are not about protecting academic integrity — they’re about silencing the work of justice and maintaining the status quo of exclusion.
This fight against inclusion is nothing new — it’s just the latest mutation of the same resistance to progress. The same fear that built Jim Crow, that crafted Black Codes, that turned its back on Brown v. Board of Education. This is about power, about keeping institutions of higher learning in the hands of the privileged, about silencing voices that have fought too hard for too long just to be heard.
If traditional institutions refuse to uphold the values of inclusion and access, then we must take our talents, our dollars, and our energy elsewhere.
People always ask, “Why do HBCUs and PBIs exist?” Well, this is why.
Because for centuries, education was a privilege reserved for the few, deliberately kept from those who built this country but were denied its promise. Because opportunity wasn’t afforded — we had to carve it out, brick by brick, against systems designed to brake and exclude us.
Our schools exist to support any student historically ignored by those who suppress opportunity and deny access to the basic right of educational attainment. Our institutions weren’t founded out of convenience but out of necessity. While funding and community support has significantly waned over the years, Martin University continues to ensure that Black and other marginalized students have a space where they are not just admitted but embraced, not just tolerated but celebrated, not just educated, but empowered.
Faced with challenges of underfunding, staff shortages and deferred maintenance, Martin is as resilient as its student body. We’ve never wavered.
Since our inception in 1977, we’ve provided a sanctuary for students that traditional institutions simply ignored, dismissed and undervalued. We’ve embraced those who were told they didn’t matter or belong. We’ve provided not just education but transformation for myself and for others who took their education seriously. If Indiana’s major universities won’t stand for all Hoosiers, then we at Martin University have and will.
History has shown us the power of economic resistance. We’ve voted with our wallets before. We’ve walked away from businesses, institutions and policies that didn’t serve our best interests. And now, we must do so again. It’s time to shift enrollment. It’s time to stand in solidarity with the institutions that stand with us. It’s time to vote with our feet and for our future.
I encourage you — students, parents, educators and allies — to take action. Support the efforts of Unite for Change by participating in our community engagement poll and share your concerns about education in Indiana. Help us create programs that not only resist this oppressive, authoritarian wave but build a future where all Hoosiers have a place at the table.
Contact Martin University to learn more about how you can join the long list of leaders who credit the institution for their educational success.
History may be written in the past, but justice demands action in the present.
