As a person who worked closely with diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives since the late 1990s as a volunteer diversity trainer and eventually as the first Chief Diversity Officer at a university, I recognized and sounded the alarm for years that a white male back lash was coming. My cautious warnings about over-reach were often muted by short-sighed overly-enthusiast folks with louder vindictive voices. I understood that white men in power were not going to sit idly by and have the power and privileged position they enjoyed for years stripped away from them for the sake of “fairness”. In America, the moral argument always ends at the pocketbook. I recognized that excluding and often villainizing white men as oppressors and making them feel attacked and discriminated against because positions they were once entitled to based solely on their “male whiteness” were now being given to “qualified” women or minorities wasn’t going to last. I knew it. And now, in retirement, I am being proven right.
In my doctoral dissertation, I described how the system of cronyism elevated white people to positions of authority based solely on their social class connections, not their actual qualifications. That system never completely disappeared. However, the introduction of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at least required that people with the authority to hire and promote at least consider others who might be the best person for the job based on actual merit and experience as opposed to social comfort and connections. We’ve all heard the saying, “It’s not what you know; it’s who you know.” That is how white men operated for years to the exclusion of women and minorities from opportunities to excel. Because of undercover “sponsorships”, many times women and minorities didn’t even know certain jobs existed. At the University, I watched white men actually create positions out of thin air for other white men who needed a job.
At the root of the today’s problem, however, was a calculated widespread rumor and now belief that women and persons of color cannot actually possess skills, knowledge, and competence for high level positions of leadership. After all, didn’t the country make concerted efforts to ensure minority schools were severely underfunded and women were discouraged by bullying and sexual intimidation to stop these people from acquiring the exceptional requirements for good jobs? However, the truly ambitious and intelligent few mustered the courage and energy to overcome the obstacles to their utter dismay.
I’ve felt that dismay personally every time a master’s level student walked into my classroom and did a double take. I could almost hear their cognitive dissonance, “How is she the professor”. Or the time, many years ago when I told an old acquaintance that I worked at the University, and she immediately assumed that I must be a secretary. I politely informed her that my mother would turn over in her grave if I got all this education just to become a secretary (now administrative assistant). I know women and people of color who are doctors and attorneys and scientists and pilots all face similar assumptions about their qualifications despite their education, experience, and accomplishments. We saw it in this presidential election. Harris was fully qualified, widely experienced, and notably competent, but many people, particularly white males and older white females couldn’t believe it nor accept it. They assumed the lying, sex-abusing felon who bankrupted six businesses and defrauded contractors, banks, and the government was more qualified to be president.
So, it is not surprising to me that the Chief Villain (Trump) has halted diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the federal government and is pushing private industry and universities to do the same. His is attempting to reverse anti-discrimination laws and re-open the doors for the kind of cronyism we see playing out in his cabinet nominations. They are people whom he likes on a social level because they will be loyal to him. With the exception of Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, his nominees don’t even have the knowledge or requisite qualifications for the positions they are being recommended for. Some, like JKF, Jr. are even dangerous. But with our cowardly senators, it does no good to cry over spilled milk. Instead, I’m interested in protecting and advancing folks in the midst of this storm.
My advice to parents of black and brown youth is to make sure you and your children are highly educated and highly skilled and prepared to leave the country if necessary. Keep your young people off the streets as much as possible as police will be looking to arrest them and confine them to “for-profit” prisons. I believe the plan is to utilize prisoners as cheap labor to industries that will desperately need laborers when mass deportations take effect. Already, 75% of orange pickers didn’t show up for work in Kern County California this past week for fear of being rounded up by ICE. That leaves fruit on the vine to rot. That means a shortage of fruit on grocery shelves and much higher prices. Americans will demand lower prices, and they will be happy to utilize prison labor (legalized slavery) when milk prices, produce, and meat prices skyrocket because of labor shortages. The need for labor will make black and brown young adults targets for arrest and imprisonment. Perhaps these are the “black jobs” Trump really wants us to do.
As for the educated and skilled among us, I have fewer worries because employers will always need people to get the job done. Be unreplaceable. We absolutely must invest in the education of our boys and girls now or they will literally lose their freedom in the future. I’m for taking our creativity and hard work and putting it into new businesses of our own. However, history has shown us that white people in this country are prone to envy and are willing to destroy our prosperous businesses and communities without much provocation. Envy is a powerful emotion. So, we must be wise and follow the example of the Asians who study hard, diligently do their work, and quietly accumulate wealth.
In other words, we must fly under the radar this time by integrating into diverse communities, not the old model of segregation that makes us an easy target. Choose neighborhoods with excellent schools and low crime rates where the property values increase. Let’s invest in and support each other, not tear each other down. To my fellow grandparents, aunties and uncles, cousins, and God parents, I say we must double our investment in the children in our extended families with our time and our treasure to ensure they have everything they need to grow up healthy, strong, and capable. Let’s keep our prosperity quiet and not be flashy about it. Flashiness only makes us a target. Leave the flashiness to the rappers and athletes and entertainers. The rest of us need to be serious about saving and investing for the future rather than spending our money in their stores. The time for courage, self-reliance and diligence is now.
In closing, I must acknowledge with certainty that this current government is against us. White supremacy and White “Christian” Nationalists have an agenda that is harmful to women, people of color and other minorities. They are literally following the Nazi step by step playbook. They’ve secured the media, banned books, rolled back rights, found scapegoats in trans people and immigrants and JD Vance characterized college professors as “enemies”. It all sounds so dire. But I also believe in God’s promise that no weapon formed against us will prosper. History has shown us that it always takes an ugly struggle to defeat oppression if we allow it to go too far. So, before it gets any worse, the time to fight hard for our family’s future is now. Do not look away. Do not be silent. Do not agree in advance. Do not give in to the exhaustion their assault is causing. Instead, join the fight by first ensuring your family is protected and then support efforts to oppose this evil agenda.