Since being sworn in as President for a second time last month, Trump’s term has been mired in controversy by his continued attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion—or in other words Black people.
But should Black people really be the face of DEI? The Root asked Black experts to explain who really benefits from DEI?
“Actually everyone but Black folks benefit [from DEI],” Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett told The Root.
In fact, she explained white women and Asian people are the top two groups who have gained the most—yet Black people remain the face of it.
How did we get here you ask?
“I think that we are the face of it because DEI came out of affirmative action—and affirmative action was about Black people specifically,’’ Crockett said. “ We were always the intended target to benefit, but the way that most policies are written people learned how to game the system.”
Political commentator Reecie Colbert seconds Crockett’s point. She said to the The Root that this narrative is being pushed strategically.
“The false notion that Black people are the primary beneficiaries of DEI, despite evidence to the contrary, has fueled irrational hostility—often from those who benefited most,” Colbert stated. She also insisted that “DEI” has become a “catch-all” for undoing policies that have helped the Black community.
Who Gets All The DEI Jobs?
Ironically, most DEI leadership roles are occupied by white folks. The job search site Zippia published a separate report that showed 76% of chief diversity officer roles are held by white people, and 54% are held by women.Data shows that the most notable recipients of affirmative action programs in the workplace are white women. A Forbes report revealed that white women hold nearly 19% of all C-suite positions, while women of color hold a meager 4 percent. When you add the fact that Black women are the most educated of all groups, this makes even less sense.
Still, Trump has gotten rid of government employees who worked on DEI programs, cut federal funding for schools that used “racial preferences” as a factor in admissions and financial aid, and banned the use of race- or sex-based preferences in the military.
Companies that promote white women to leadership positions are usually praised for advancing inclusivity, even when Black people aren’t offered the same opportunities.
The result of this practice is startling: A McKinsey study estimated that it would take 48 years for women of color to achieve gender parity, while it would only take white women 22 years to achieve this.
“To the extent which DEI efforts have helped, white women have seen the biggest gains in the workplace as a result of affirmative action and diversity programs,” said diversity consultant Susan X Jane.
Jane also mentioned the incongruity when it comes to white women and Black women.
“Black women are still less likely to receive sponsorship or promotions than their white women counterparts.”
Companies with Diverse Teams Win Despite the Rhetoric:
McKinsey also published a separate report proved that companies with more diverse teams are 35% more likely to have financial returns above their industry average. His followers have justified Trump’s actions using the erroneous pretense that Black and brown people are rewarded from inclusion policies the most—a claim that is simply untrue.
How White Women Continue to Benefit from DEI:
Professor and author Dr. Walter Greason said that these renewed attacks on DEI ignore the fact that white women have historically gained the most from these initiatives.
“Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives offered a compromise to ‘narrowly tailor’ organizational goals in response to hostile judicial rulings and white fears about reparations for Black Americans,” Greason continued.
The President-elect isn’t the only prominent figure to condemn DEI. After hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman wrote an essay saying diversity, equity and inclusion could lead to “racism against white people,” Tesla CEO and Trump senior adviser Elon Musk echoed this sentiment on X last month.
“DEI is just another word for racism,” Musk wrote. “Shame on anyone who uses it.”
Jane insisted that this fear maintained by Trump’s base just isn’t real.
“Despite decades of efforts of DEI, it’s important to remember that white men still hold the vast majority of C-Suite positions. No matter what the administration is saying, there is no evidence of anti-white discrimination.”