This is an opinion column.

Two Alabama Republicans walk into a bar.

One is a state lawmaker who gathers with fellow Republican lawmakers for a few weeks once each year, seemingly to fix what they (or their constituents—or rather—those who voted for them) fear.

The other is a mayor who governs year-round, who leads an increasingly diverse city of varied cultures, all vying for recognition and influence, to be seen and heard at city hall.

Quickly, the topic turns to diversity, equity, and inclusion—three words that remain in the crosshairs of Republican state lawmakers who, as I’ve noted, want you to believe DEI is a rabid beast hell-bent on tearing us apart.

Last month, after six hours of debate, the Republican super-majority state Senate passed SB129. Mocking a similarly fear-not-fact-based bill passed last year in Oklahoma, my home state, it would prohibit state government institutions—including agencies, public schools, and colleges—from utilizing state funds to support a diversity, equity, and inclusion office and from sponsoring DEI programs or any program that “advocates for a divisive concept.”

The bill now sits in the House.

“It’s divisive,” charges the lawmaker in the bar, though without delineating or defining exactly what is divisive about diversity, equity, and inclusion (words that pretty much mean the opposite).

The mayor listens, smiles, then counters. “Well, in our city,” the mayor begin…

Last week, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle touted the impact of the city’s Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion, an evolution of the Office of Multicultural Affairs he created 15 years ago. In 2021, it was rebranded by a unanimous vote of the city council, which also created positions of director and assistant director for the office.

“The City of Huntsville Office of Diversity Equity & Inclusion has worked hard to make Huntsville a better and more inclusive place,” Battle, a Republican, shared in a statement in which he cited a plethora of events and programs created and executed for Huntsville citizens.

“They are part of the bigger picture in Huntsville that ensures opportunity that is inclusive and easily accessed,” he said, “and works to ensure the City’s many cultures are welcomed and represented in our community.”

Welcomed. Represented. Not divided.

The lawmaker grunts. And sips.

Another Republican mayor, Mobile’s Stan Stimpson, wouldn’t specifically speak to SB129 but said: “Our mission … is to ignite Mobilians through action to become One Mobile—a safer, more business and family-friendly city. A core component of that mission is ensuring that all our citizens have equal access to opportunity and their city government.”

According to the most recent U.S. census, 53% of Mobile residents are Black, while whites comprise 44%. Across Mobile County, the composition shifts: 58% white, 36.7% Black.

A Mobile spokesperson noted two government offices created to foster equitable access and spending: the Office of Community Affairs, which acts as a “liaison” to city government for all residents; and the Office of Supplier Diversity (OSD), which the spokesperson described as a “big push the Stimpson administration … over the past decade and a half … [It has] helped ensure that businesses owned by minorities, women and veterans have an equal opportunity to contract with the City of Mobile.”

OSD includes various programs to “connect historically disadvantaged businesses with resources and even capital to develop and grow their operations,” the spokesperson said.

Among them: the Micro-Enterprise Loan Program, which provides eligible contracting-related businesses to receive up to $2,500 that is forgivable if the business meets certain requirements; “Contractors College,” a partnership with historically Black Bishop State Community College that, according to the website, “helps small businesses compete for, receive, and manage public contracts; and Building a Business Legacy (BBL), a partnership with Black-owned Commonweal National Bank that facilitates small business loans to local business. The City of Mobile and the bank each committed $2 million to BBL.

In this video on BBL, Stimpson says the program is “about helping young companies that need cash to grow. What we’re hoping to do,” he adds, “is jumpstart these new businesses to give them an opportunity … to invest time and resources to grow a business that will make a difference for their whole family and their community.”

Collectively, the spokesperson said, the portfolio of programs “allows more local companies to take advantage of opportunities to work with the city and other public agencies.

“We simply would not be able to handle all the projects we’re taking on without OSD helping us cast a wider net across the community.”

With a finger now plugging both ears, the Republican lawmaker in the bar is finding it difficult to drink.

The mayor is undeterred, knowing the lawmaker really doesn’t want to hear this: Mobile’s city employees are required to go through DEI training annually “to ensure we are fostering a workplace that allows all our employees to thrive and serve the community to the best of their ability,” according to the spokesperson.

Republican state lawmakers are adamant about eliminating mandatory DEI training because, well, again, they have no explanation other than: “It’s divisive.”

Moreover, the Stimpson administration “uses diverse panels of employees and often brings in subject matter experts from outside agencies to evaluate and recommend potential candidates” for appointed positions. “This has led to one of the most diverse and accomplished executive leadership teams in the City of Mobile’s history,” the spokesperson shared.

Stimpson’s nine-member Executive Leadership Team (chief of staff, city attorney, and department executive directors) is 28 percent women and 42 percent minority, according to the spokesperson. (This currently comprises just seven people; one ED position is vacant and another is filled with an interim.)

Across the entire administrative leadership team (33 positions, including all EDs and directors) the makeup is 51 percent women and 33 percent minority, the spokesperson noted.

“Mobile,” Stimpson’s statement added, “is proving that the greatest successes are achieved when everyone has a seat at the table.”

Back at the bar, the lawmaker and mayor prepare to leave. Who pays the tab?

If Republican legislators remain obstinate and tone-deaf to what DEI actually is and does versus what they at us to believe it does, the answer is clear: We do.

Our young people do.

Our future will pay dearly.

I’m a member of the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame and a Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary. My column appears on AL.com, as well as the Lede. Tell me what you think at [email protected], and follow me at twitter.com/roysj, or on Instagram @roysj