Lawmakers Move to Defund SC State After Students Protest Evette; Critics Say Funding Can't Be Punished Over Personal Grievances
A group of South Carolina House lawmakers is pushing to strip funding from South Carolina State University after students successfully protested Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette’s selection as commencement speaker — a move critics say is an abuse of legislative power. Students at the historically Black university staged a peaceful demonstration last month after President Alexander Conyers announced Evette as the keynote speaker. Many objected to her long‑standing opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion programs, arguing she was not an appropriate choice to address Black graduates about achievement and opportunity. The protest prompted the university to remove Evette from the program. Evette publicly blasted the decision, calling the students a “woke mob,” despite no reports of aggression or disruption during the demonstration. Now, five Republican members of the South Carolina House are backing a proposal to defund the state’s only public HBCU in response to the controversy. Evette has voi...
