By: Carolina Review Staff
The Town of Chapel Hill has publicized a webpage on racial equity, containing a “Working Social Justice Definitions” dictionary defining various systems of oppression and “isms.”
President Donald Trump’s Jan. 21 executive order striking DEI policies at the federal level calls into question whether Chapel Hill’s federal funding will be impacted due to this webpage. The executive order calls for every federal agency to terminate DEI preferences, programs, policies, and guidance. The Town of Chapel Hill currently receives federal funding from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program under the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The CDBG program provides grants for low-income housing development, which Chapel Hill has received since 1975.
The “DEI dictionary” defines terms commonly studied in sociology, covering topics such as race, discrimination, oppression, gender, sexuality, wealth, and ability. Among these are terms such as “adultism,” “lookism,” “vertical and horizontal oppression,” “cis-sexism,” and a treasure trove of terms relating to woke ideologies. Many of the terms described seem to stem from critical race theory.
This dictionary appears under the Chapel Hill Town Manager Mary Jane Nirdlinger’s webpage, stating that the town manager’s responsibilities include carrying out the policies set by the mayor and Town Council and overseeing the delivery of town services. It is unclear how this set of definitions fits into the job description of the town manager’s office.
The webpage also raises First Amendment concerns in light of the landmark 1943 Supreme Court decision in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette. The majority opinion held that “no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.”
Given that social justice and DEI fall squarely in the realm of politics and most consider them to be matters of opinion, the Racial Equity subpage and the DEI dictionary seem to be in violation of the Barnett decision.
The Review contacted the Town of Chapel Hill. In lieu of a comment, a spokesperson directed the Review to a website laying out the Council’s strategic focus areas. These areas include the environment, economy, affordable housing, community connection, health, inclusivity and safety, and jobs, in that order. The website states that the town’s “commitment” to DEI principles is to be applied to all focus areas, yet no DEI goals are stated under employment goals. The only mentions of DEI policies fall under community health and inclusivity, with a focus on highlighting “historically marginalized artists” and focusing on inclusivity in cultural and social events.