A Kentucky Democratic lawmaker argued during a hearing that white people should feel guilt over their skin color, defending diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs just as Republicans in the state moved to eliminate them from public schools.
The Tuesday comments came as Republican state Sen. Lindsey Tichenor introduced legislation banning DEI initiatives in Kentucky’s K–12 system, according to the Paducah Sun.
Democratic state Rep. Sarah Stalker objected to the bill, insisting DEI gives students room to “reflect” on “historical privilege.”
Then Stalker went further.
“I’m going to be honest, I don’t feel good about being white every day for a lot of reasons,” Stalker said in a video shared on X by Libs of TikTok.
“Because it’s a point of privilege that I get to move through the world in a way that so many of my other colleagues and friends and family members and of the community don’t get the privilege to do, and I’m just a female, just a woman, just a white woman.”
She continued:
“If I was a white man, I would be functioning from a point of even greater privilege.
“I think we’re missing an opportunity when kids have a moment to reflect about how the color of their skin does and does not allow them to move through the world.
“Running to them and trying to stifle that and trying to say, ‘You shouldn’t feel bad, so we don’t want to ever expose you to something that is going to make you have to pause and have maybe some internal feelings.’
“It’s a missed opportunity for some really good dialogue.”
WATCH:
DEI Under Pressure Nationally
President Donald Trump dismantled DEI programs at the federal level within hours of taking office on Jan. 20, signing an executive order that ended race-based initiatives across the government.
Shortly after, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the Department of War would eliminate racial quotas in promotions.
Meanwhile, the intellectual foundation of corporate DEI continues to crumble.
A report in Econ Journal Watch found that highly publicized McKinsey & Company studies — widely cited to claim DEI improves financial performance — could not be replicated.
Major U.S. corporations, including McDonald’s, Walmart, and Coors, have since begun rolling back DEI policies.
And multiple legal challenges have targeted race-restricted programs:
• Mountain States Legal Foundation alleged the FAA rejected more than 1,000 applicants for a training initiative based explicitly on race, according to SimpleFlying.com.
• Do No Harm filed an EEOC complaint last year against the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine over an internship open only to black applicants.
As red states move to block DEI and federal policy shifts under Trump accelerate the rollback, the Kentucky debate underscores the widening gulf between Republicans who argue DEI is discriminatory and Democrats who openly advocate for teaching racial guilt in classrooms.
READ MORE – Canada Moves to Criminalize Bible Under ‘Hate Speech’ Laws
Our comment section is restricted to members of the Slay News community only.
To join, create a free account HERE.
If you are already a member, log in HERE.