In his January 23 address to the World Economic Forum, the 47th president claimed that the United States was returning to a “merit-based” country. I couldn’t help but wonder exactly when this country was merit-based. Was it when Black people couldn’t buy houses in certain areas due to redlining and restrictive covenants? Or maybe when Black veterans were not offered home loans or free college as part of the GI bill that White veterans received. Or perhaps when Social Security benefits excluded domestic and agricultural workers (who were disproportionately Black).
Maybe people in the United States gained opportunity solely on merit when the school systems were set up to be unequally funded based on property taxes in the midst of racially segregated and underresourced neighborhoods. Or maybe it was merit-based when Black people had a hard time joining unions and faced greater barriers to starting and running businesses. Maybe it’s due to merit that Black people’s neighborhoods are more polluted than predominantly White ones and quality health care is less accessible for Black people. Generations of Black people, including my parents, grandparents and definitely my great-grandparents, who were born during slavery, missed experiencing a truly racially neutral merit-based society.
Under the pretense of creating a “meritocracy” a slew of executive orders were issued within the first few days of the new administration to get rid of DEI and weaken the EEOC, especially from the federal government. This was a coded way of getting rid of as many people of color as possible from the public sector, where Black people have thrived the most. In the Disunited States of America, which was racially segregated by law and systematically unequal for over 340 of the last 400+ years, the public sector provided the most opportunity for Black people to earn a middle-class income. Black people are approximately 14 percent of the population, but make up 18 percent of federal employees and 12 percent of local and state government. That is a higher percentage than most other areas of employment. In the private sector, Black people have the highest representation in service positions, home health care and security.
By contrast, Black people are underrepresented at less than 10 percent in professions such as law, science, medicine, architecture and more. So, exactly which jobs are Black people taking that others are more qualified for? The purpose of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) was to attract and support a broad range of qualified people including women, LGBTQ+ people, racial minorities, and those with different physical abilities and who practice different religions. However, in numerous situations, the term has been appropriated and twisted to imply that “unqualified” Black and Brown people gained opportunities they didn’t deserve and “took” positions from presumably “more qualified” White men.
But the argument of instating meritocracy runs counter to the actions the federal government has actually been taking. Take, for instance, the slate of cabinet members who have little to no experience for the positions they were put in. Just the Secretary of Defense position alone illustrates the longstanding, vastly different standards used to evaluate Black people compared to White people for the same positions. Black people have currently and historically needed to be overwhelmingly qualified for jobs to even be considered in many instances. The outgoing Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, an African-American man, had 41 years of experience in the Army. He had led the U.S. Central Command, the Army corps in combat and was a commanding general. He had received five Defense Distinguished Service Medals, the Silver Star for bravery in combat and two Legions of Merit.
He was succeeded by a White man who was plagued by accusations of abuse of alcohol and women, was a former TV cohost of TV on Fox & Friends Weekend and infantry officer in the U.S. Army National Guard. Within days after his January 24 confirmation for the massive job — responsible for managing 16 percent of the national budget and over 3 million personnel — he issued orders to “ensure no DEI programs remain in the Pentagon.” The next day, a tragic fatal plane crash occurred near Ronald Reagan Washington National airport in Washington, D.C. In response, he and the 47th president implied that “DEI” could have caused the tragedy.
Most Black and Brown people I know are not in the mood to go through any more than necessary to “prove” they belong in professional positions they are overqualified to do. The double standards are so in our face, and the hostile efforts to erase us are so great, that many have decided to just focus on using their talents and intelligence to uplift themselves and their communities. There is also interest in taking a page from our ancestors to only use our dollars to support those who believe in our worth and value. Expending energy to fight about our humanity and worthiness has gotten old.
At this point, those who are truly against anything that is racially diverse, equitable and inclusive need to be consistent in their bigotry. If they are so hostile to the existence of Black and Brown people and are convinced that we can’t operate at the same level, they need to ban themselves from enjoying everything we do. Going forward, there need to be warning labels to the effect of: “You are about to support something that welcomes people from all races, ethnicities, religions, abilities and genders. If this makes you feel uncomfortable, you have the freedom to abstain.”
All who oppose DEI should not partake in anything Black and Brown people have created. Here’s a short list:
- No more listening to jazz, blues, hip-hop, gospel, R&B, house or rap music.
- No more wearing African box braids or cornrow hairstyles.
- No more using “DEI” spices that originate outside of Europe.
- No more tacos, burritos, dim sum, tandoori chicken, samosas or naan.
- Stay away from jerk chicken, oxtail soup, curried goat and callaloo.
- No more greens, cornbread, macaroni and cheese, sweet potato pie and potato chips.
- Don’t use GPS — that was invented by a Black woman named Gladys West.
- Ignore traffic lights, those were invented by a Black man named Garrett Morgan.
- Don’t have open heart surgery, which was first performed by Dr. Daniel Hale Williams, or get a blood transfusion, the research for which Dr. Charles Drew made possible.
- Reject any advancements made by “DEI” doctors.
- Don’t breakdance, don’t listen to or dance to salsa, merengue, or bachata.
- Don’t watch basketball, football or baseball, which have all of those “DEI” players.
- Finally, do not get anymore butt lifts or lip enhancements and stop tanning.
- Just stick to egg whites, mayonnaise, vanilla ice cream, white milk, square dancing and anything beige.
One day the brilliance and talent of all people will be recognized and appreciated. No one race has a monopoly on excellence, talent, or qualifications. The Disunited States of America will not be truly “great” until everyone with talent and potential has equal opportunity and resources to compete and thrive.
