BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (LifeSiteNews) – The head of a self-proclaimed Christian school in Alabama struck a defiant tone in response to coverage of the institution’s Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) policies, insisting that its activities are in keeping with “biblical justice.”
Samford University declares itself a “diverse community, stressing vigorous learning and personal faith, in the Baptist tradition,” listing among its core values belief in God and Jesus Christ, spiritual growth, civic engagement, “integrity, honesty and justice,” and “appreciation for diverse cultures and convictions.”
In recent weeks, however, area outlet 1819 News has covered a series of DEI activities the school has embraced since the 2020 death of Minneapolis criminal suspect and Black Lives Matter icon George Floyd, culminating with a Diversity Action Plan in March that pledges to bring “elements of racial justice and diversity, equity, and inclusion content into the core curriculum at Samford.” Its efforts have included “bias training” for faculty (including reading books on “how to be antiracist” and dedicated counseling specifically for nonwhite students.
“It is no secret that America has not lived up to its promise of upholding the idea that ‘All men are created equal.’ And from the earliest beginnings of slavery and indigenous genocides, to the tragedy of Jim Crow, to present-day systemic racial injustice and inequality, the evangelical church has been an integral part of all of America,” Samford associate professor Geoff Sciacca declares in his description of a piece of art he made using ripped-out Bible pages.
The outlet has also covered professor Niya Pickett Miller, who has proposed what she calls “‘Hot Girl Teaching’ in A Faith-Based Environment,” who finds “much to learn from Megan Thee Stallion, the self-proclaimed ‘Hot Girl Coach.’ However, her provocative lyrics and hyper-sexuality are challenging to interject into communication-themed classes at a predominantly white, faith-based university.”
Miller co-authored a proposed course syllabus that says “Megan and others use their platforms to reject the labels of oppressors and reclaim and reframe Black women as unapologetic leaders, cultural tastemakers, and pleasure activists who are also worthy of love and adoration. The works located in this syllabus confront distortions about Black women.”
The College Fix reported that in a speech to faculty last Wednesday, Samford president Beck Taylor condemned 1819’s coverage as an effort to “stir the pot among some who think that any mention of racism and sexism in our culture and in our educational institutions is a violation of some newly imagined social contract that magically eliminates the need to continue to educate students on important elements of our history and of our current lived experience.”
“What this publication is doing is despicable and it’s wrong, and whatever agenda is motivating them to do this will not succeed,” Taylor said, adding the Board of Trustees voted unanimously “to affirm the University’s leadership and its Christian calling to biblical justice” on April 22, and that school leadership “will not be bullied to change our values and priorities.”
1819 News stands by its work, stating, “For each story, 1819 News has given Samford and/or the professors mentioned in the story an opportunity to respond on the record. So far, the university has released only one on-the-record statement, which pertained to the first story. The story was updated within hours to include it.”
“1819 News aims to bring to light areas of Samford’s current policies, curriculum and staff that do not align with the expectations, mission or values of a traditional Christian conservative university so that university leadership, parents, donors, students, and trustees can make informed decisions,” it added.
