Shayla L. Davis
Mar 26, 2025
Will Governor DeWine Sign Away Ohio’s Truth?
March 25, 2025
On March 20, Governor Mike DeWine stood beside President Donald Trump at the White House as Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
This was a deplorable act, standing with a federal leader who has relentlessly attacked public education, racial justice, and the foundations of democracy. Trump is not a symbol of educational leadership—he is a symbol of regression.
For DeWine to stand with him—on the very same day SB 1 reached his desk—sends a direct and undeniable message:
Governor DeWine does not care about our ability, our access, or our freedom to learn in this state.
His alignment with Trump is no coincidence—it’s a deliberate political choice. And it makes one thing clear: erasure, censorship, and control are the goal. Our resistance must be just as clear.
What SB 1 Really Is: The State-Sanctioned Erasure of Equity Act
Official Title: Senate Bill 1 – “The Advance Ohio Higher Education Act”
What We Call It: The State-Sanctioned Erasure of Equity Act
This bill is not about advancement—it’s about erasure.
If signed into law, SB 1 will:
Ban Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) programs at public universities—cutting scholarships, mentorships, and resources that have helped Black, Brown, first-gen, LGBTQ+, and immigrant students thrive.
Censor curriculum addressing systemic racism, gender identity, civil rights, power, and inequality, eliminating the language and frameworks that help students understand the world they live in.
Shift control of public universities away from educators and students to politically appointed trustees, turning learning institutions into tools of state ideology.
Suppress student advocacy and leadership, particularly among groups rooted in racial justice, liberation, and accountability.
This is not “education reform.” This is state repression—designed to control thought, erase truth, and restrict who belongs in higher education.
Why Black Learning Is Always Targeted
From slavery to Jim Crow to today’s book bans—efforts to silence Black minds are nothing new.
SB 1 continues this legacy by threatening:
Our right to read our history
Our right to speak the truth
Our right to learn without fear
DEI exists because we demanded space. SB 1 exists because they fear what we’ll do with it.
Legislators Who Fought Back
During a three-hour floor debate in the Ohio House, several legislators stood firm in defense of truth and education:
Rep. Desiree Tims (Dayton): Introduced an amendment focused on equity and justice
Rep. Erika White (Toledo): Advocated for students and teachers’ unions
Rep. Darnell Brewer (Cleveland): Connected today’s struggle to generations of Black and white leaders who fought for the right to read and learn
Rep. Latanya Humphrey (Columbus): Delivered a passionate defense of diversity as essential to growth and empathy
Rep. Joe Miller (Amherst): Challenged the censorship and politicization of education
Rep. Sean Brennan (Parma): Urged lawmakers to trust educators, not politicians
Rep. Brownlee (Symmes Twp.): Defended DEI as a path to opportunity and fairness
Assistant Minority Leader Dontavius Jarrells (Columbus): Spoke powerfully on Black resistance and the necessity of truth
Other members also rose with courage and clarity to meet this moment.
What You Can Do Right Now
Call Governor DeWine
Tell him: Veto SB 1. Ohio deserves the truth.
Phone: (614) 466-3555
Email Aaron Crooks, Director of Legislative Affairs:
Aaron.Crooks@governor.ohio.gov
Keep Teaching—Everywhere
If they silence us in schools, we’ll teach in our homes, barbershops, churches, and communities.
Teach banned books.
Speak the truths they want hidden.
Celebrate the educators who continue, despite all obstacles.
We are the descendants of those punished for reading. We will not stop now.
Vote: May 6, 2025
SB 1 is not on the ballot, but Issue 2 is.
Ohio Issue 2—The Local Public Infrastructure Bond Amendment—affects how our communities fund and build public services. And remember:
The people who passed SB 1 are in office because too many people stayed home. We’ll send a follow-up email soon breaking down the full ballot—because every vote, every issue, every seat matters.
Registration to Vote -
Find out what's on the ballot -
https://www.ohiosos.gov/legislation-and-ballot-issues/ballot-board/
This Isn’t Just a Policy Fight—It’s a Line in the Sand
SB 1 isn’t about education. It’s about power. It’s about whether the next generation learns who they are, or who the state tells them they’re allowed to be. We are drawing the line here. We teach. We organize. We vote. We will not be erased.
We stand for truth, for equity, and for every student whose voice and history must not be erased.
— OLBCF President, Shayla L. Davis