Diversity Thursday

momento mori

Everyone and every institution has a role to play at a particular time and place. Sometimes it serves as an example to follow; at other times, as a warning to others.

Virginia in general, and the Virginia Military Institution (VMI) specifically, are in 2026 firmly in the latter category.

For over 20 years we have come back to many Thursdays for DivThu. In times when the forces of sectarianism and division were on the march almost unopposed, and then it times like we have seen since 2022—starting in the courts—where the final pushback arrived with reinforcements. The last year, especially on the military side of the house, we have gone from hope to joy as so much positive movement has happened across a broad front something that, as little as half a decade ago, I would not have believed.

The time for basking in accomplishments is past, as we have been enjoying our moment, the enemy has been regrouping and gathering strength.

The diversity industry has regained much of its former strength. It cannot yet take full power at the national level right now, but its spirit has lost none of its potency. Concealed within its fortress in academia and the Democrat Party, the lords of division and sectarianism see all. Its gaze pierces government, business, institutions, and education. You know of what I speak. A great hate, unquenched, wreathed in resentment. (apologies to Tolkien).

I want to repeat here what I have been reminding people on a regular basis over the last year—the left is not done. All the progress made with Executive Orders can—and will—be repealed the minute power changes hands. The only bulwark besides relying on the courts to rescue everything years later is legislation. Yes, that too can be overturned, but it is harder. And yet, nothing has been done.

As we have seen before with the left, they are very comfortable going after the institution that will resist them the least for the most impact—the military.

The Zampolit have fixed their target. They are trying to isolate it, personalize it, and polarize the body politic against it.

They will start with the first target they can get to: VMI.

The Democrats took power in Virginia last fall. That cleared a clean line of fire to VMI so they can pick up the battle they were forced to retreat from a few years ago. If you are not familiar with the background, this is a fair primer from 2023.

What is the left doing now that they have the power in Virginia? The nuclear option.

Virginia lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a bill creating a task force that would examine whether the Virginia Military Institute should remain a publicly funded, state-sponsored institution, marking the most consequential legislative step yet in a debate over the school’s governance and culture.

The proposal is part of a broader push by Democratic lawmakers to impose new oversight on VMI following a 2021 state-commissioned investigation that found persistent disparities, cultural barriers and a lack of accountability at the school.

VMI leaders have said they continue working with state officials to demonstrate progress and the institution’s value to the commonwealth.

The House Rules Committee voted along party lines to send the bill to the full House. If approved, the task force would be charged, in part, with determining whether VMI should continue receiving public funds as a state-sponsored military college.

Del. Terry Austin, R-Botetourt, whose district includes VMI, voted against the measure but said he would participate constructively if it moves forward.

“I know VMI has had its challenges in the past. I know there have been mistakes made in the past at VMI, and I know that I, myself, as a legislator representing VMI, is willing to carry the (mantle) forward, to make certain that we correct those problems,” Austin said. “And whatever this study produces, we’ll do our very best to adhere and amend to that.”

This is no simple “asking questions” inquiry. No. You can almost smell the hate. Via Bacon’s Rebellion:

Washington Post headline: “Virginia Democrats target military college’s funding after anti-DEI push. Democrats launch effort that could ultimately end Virginia Military Institute’s status as a state-funded university.”

Money quote:

“We need to determine whether this is an institution capable of change,” said resolution sponsor Del. Dan Helmer (D-Fairfax), who previously forced VMI to protect students who’ve reported sexual assaults on campus. Helmer, a U.S. Military Academy at West Point graduate, said Virginia taxpayer money should not be given to an institution “incapable of separating itself from a Lost Cause ideology that promotes White supremacy.”

The battle is joined. First, with the Cadets stepping forward—as VMI Cadets have always done.

Cadets at the Virginia Military Institute went to bat for the historic military college after Virginia Democrats introduced legislation to investigate VMI in a move that would potentially revoke state funding and even close the school’s doors for good.

Cadets Michael Ferrara, regimental S3 captain, and Devin Auzenne, regimental commander, sat down for an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital to discuss the core values of VMI, and dispute some of the allegations that have pushed Virginia Democrats to threaten the institution.

“I would say on the cadet side, there’s a little bit of confusion,” Ferrara told Fox. “One of the bills questions the contribution that VMI contributes to the commonwealth of the state and this school produces nothing but prestigious men and women ready to serve the country.”

“We’ve had approximately 300 generals and flag officers coming from the Virginia Military Institute,” Ferrara added. “We’ve had seven Medal of Honor recipients, 11 Rhodes Scholars, one Nobel Prize winner.”

Ferrara graduates from VMI this spring, and is commissioned to serve in the U.S. Air Force as a developmental engineer. He told Fox he attended VMI because he wanted to serve the country.

This is a great interview with the two Cadets.

Second, the larger VMI community and its supporter are standing up. Gordon C. Morse also over at the excellent Bacon’s Rebellion,

Here’s how this goes: Democrats imagine VMI to be a relic of Virginia’s benighted past. They see VMI as being staffed, directed, and supported by Republican reactionaries, and these people, they believe, will never embrace the diversity, equity, and inclusion edicts that have become core to Democratic Party doctrine.

DEI has become the thing, a moral language for all Democratic Party actors and aligned organizations – a political manifesto. DEI determines who enters the room, whose leadership is embraced, and whose experiences influence policy.

The remarkable thing is that Virginia’s colleges and universities have been free to find their own mountaintops. These schools were not created and sustained to be one thing.

In this regard, VMI fights to preserve Virginia’s institutional diversity. It has become a prime battlefield.

While Helmer’s task force may be the first, don’t count on it to be the last. The General Assembly appears prepared to police and enforce homogeneity in higher learning.

That’s worth fighting over, so let’s have at it. Shelve the apologies. It’s time to stand up in the wind and not flinch. The beauty and majesty of VMI lie in its commitment to the individual, to treating everyone not as members of groups, but rather as individual human beings with inherent dignity. The school judges people by their character and accomplishments and labors to further develop both.

And it succeeds.

On that basis, pound-for-pound, acre-for-acre, has any campus in Virginia given more to the United States of America? Arguably, no.

That needs to be said, said again, said over and over.

More recently on Tuesday, the Department of War brought in supporting fires.

Department of War Statement on Proposed Legislation Affecting the Virginia Military Institute

The Department of War is monitoring Virginia House Bill 1374, focused on the governance of the Virginia Military Institute (VMI), with significant concern. For generations, the unique military environment at VMI has made the Institute a vital source of commissioned officers for the Armed Forces.

The stability of this proven leadership pipeline is a matter of direct national security interest and any action that could disrupt the ecosystem requires our full attention. DoW reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity of VMI and our commitment to the cadets and midshipmen currently training there remains steadfast.

We urge the Virginia General Assembly to consider the broader implications of this bill on military readiness, as well as the federal government's long-standing investment in this critical institution.

Do not rest. Do not think you have won the war. No. Not even close. If anything, the agents of division are full of passionate intensity.

If you are a subscriber to National Review, our friend John Noonan has an article worth your time that came out earlier today.