Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce was booked to deliver a keynote speech at the Columbus VA’s annual MLK luncheon. But the Ohio politician said he ultimately canceled his appearance after the event organizers informed him that he could not mention diversity, equity, and inclusion in his speech, What I’m Reading reported.
Boyce, who made history in 2017 when he became the first Black county commissioner of Franklin County, said that just two hours before the event, the organizers informed him that he was “prohibited from addressing topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as well as anything deemed ‘politically charged,’ due to President Trump’s recent federal executive orders limiting such discussions.”
Boyce said he was “scheduled months in advance” to deliver the keynote speech at the event. “I get a call about two hours before the speech, and they say, ‘Hey, we’re looking forward to hearing from you. But just FYI, you can’t talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion in your remarks,” Boyce revealed.
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“It was an insult,” Boyce added. “It was an insult to the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. It was an insult to my own personal journey that they asked me to talk about.”
Boyce in his statement said he was “invited to share his personal journey to leadership while honoring Dr. King’s legacy.” The seasoned politician said he could not talk about his journey as well as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. without “discussing diversity, equity, and inclusion, especially given the [Trump] administration’s executive order.”
“If that’s the case, I would respectfully decline and say you should probably find another speaker,” he also stated.
Boyce also said he opted to touch on the incident because the organizers threatened to inform the public that he had pulled out, What I’m Reading reported. “They called back to say, ‘Hey, if you don’t come, we’re going to put it out there that you just canceled on us. And I said that’s not true. You called me, and you made that choice. And I said, you can’t tell me that I can’t mention diversity, equity, inclusion,” said Boyce.
He also said what happened was an “absurd violation of his First Amendment rights.” Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Stacia Ruby, said that the Columbus VA is “no longer focusing on DEI” and is arranging for the event to be held at a later date.
“As a result of this speaker’s cancellation, Columbus VA Ambulatory Care Center is working to reschedule the event honoring Martin Luther King Jr. VA is no longer focusing on DEI and is recommitting itself to its core mission: providing the best possible care and benefits to veterans, their families, caregivers and survivors,” Ruby said in a statement to the news outlet.
Boyce said he hopes the incident will spur a larger discussion about DEI. “We should embrace the tough conversations. Good, bad, or indifferent,” he said. “It’s important to have conversations so that we understand all perspectives and move accordingly.”
“Everyone asks, ‘Are you upset at Trump because of the order?’ No. I’m more concerned about the fact that the masses chose Trump to be president knowing his position in these areas,” Boyce added. “I think that speaks more to what the priorities of the country are.”
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