North Carolina’s legislature enacted a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion activities at public colleges, overriding Gov. Josh Stein’s veto. The law takes effect immediately and bars campuses from maintaining DEI offices or employees and from endorsing “divisive concepts,” including certain race- and sex-based frameworks. Colleges must annually certify compliance, and the statute restricts how institutions can treat protected speech—even if it is framed as microaggressions or satire. The measure also limits curriculum or graduation requirements that involve coursework tied to “divisive concepts,” with an exception for decisions deemed necessary by a chancellor. The statute adds North Carolina to a growing list of states moving against DEI offices and related programming. For public institutions, the compliance burden now includes documentation, policy rewrites, and potential legal risk management tied to First Amendment and civil rights obligations.