Governor Andy Beshear (D-KY) condemned placing limits on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) practices in honor of the 1964 March on Frankfort.
The newly elected governor led hundreds of supporters to the statehouse on March 5, retracing the steps the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and 10,000 others took during the march in the state’s capital 60 years ago.
Cheers erupted as the governor promised to veto legislation designed to limit DEI practices at Kentucky’s public universities. Passed by the state in February 2024, it is now pending in the House, similar to other DEI-limiting legislation nationwide.
During a speech in front of the state Capitol, Beshear spoke on what DEI really stood for: love.
“DEI is not a four-letter word. DEI is a three-letter acronym for very important values that are found in our Bible,” Beshear said.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion [are] about loving each other. It’s about living out the Golden Rule. Diversity will always make us stronger. It is an asset and never a liability.”
Dr. King marched to call for legislation to end discrimination and segregation in the state, and as a result the
Kentucky Civil Rights Act of 1966, prohibiting race-based discrimination in accommodations or employment, was passed. State Sen. Gerald Neal (D-Louisville) and civil rights activist Mattie Jones were attendees of the original march and participated in the recent celebration.As the choir from HBCU Kentucky State University sang, Jones reminded the crowd that there was more work to be done.
“Let’s not think we’ve got it made right now,” he said. “Let’s not think that we are free because we will not be free until all of us are free. It’s not until we all are free that we can truly say ‘We have overcome.'”
Beshear shared similar sentiments six decades later but also touched on “a lot of harm to stop.” On the same day as the march, the governor vetoed a GOP-supported bill that he said would make it harder for “people to have a roof over their heads.”
Following his election, Beshear signed an executive order restoring voting rights for 190,000 nonviolent offenders who served their time. He also promised to have the statue of Confederate President and Kentucky native Jefferson Davis removed from the state Capitol.
Paying homage to Dr. King’s work, Beshear said anything can be accomplished if Kentuckians work together.
“Years ago, after this march, Kentucky became the first state in the south to sign a Civil Rights Act,” he said. “We can do it again … and if we raise our voices, we can demand that we do it again.”