The term “DEI” (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), has recently resurfaced in the conservative political space. First coined in the 1960s during the civil rights movement, DEI emerged as part of efforts to address systemic inequality. The acronym refers to initiatives that some organizations have taken, like Google’s Diversity Annual Report, to promote inclusivity. However, Republican figures like Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett and Wyoming Rep. Harriet Hageman have co-opted the phrase to attack Vice President Kamala Harris’ credentials as a possible presidential candidate. They labeled her as a “DEI hire”, suggesting that she is only in her position due to the fact that she is of Afro-Caribbean and Indian descent.

This poses a precarious question in my mind: was I only chosen to be the editor-in-chief of this newspaper because of the pigmentation of my skin? Was my promotion tethered to the fact that my hair coils more than my peers or because I am more resistant to UV rays? What hopes do I have of being valued on my merits if even a presidential candidate is being dismissed as a “diversity hire”?

The answer is no; I am not a “DEI hire,” and neither is Kamala Harris. I was not “given” this position simply because I am the only sable-skinned person on the staff, and Kamala Harris was not given the Democratic nomination because she was the only one in the primary who’s ever eaten soul food. The assumption that the only way a person of color could rise to a considerable position of power is racist by every definition of the word, and it implies that darker skinned people have some genetic predisposition to follow instead of lead.

While “DEI” has gained renewed attention, this bigoted rhetoric against black people in high places is not new by any means. Former President Barack Obama faced numerous claims of being under qualified simply because he was a black man. It was so inconceivable to some of these “critics” that a qualified African American could be President of the United States that campaigns like the “Birther Movement” sprung up to delegitimize his candidacy by questioning his birthplace. Now, those same accusations are being propelled at Harris. The former San Francisco district attorney, California attorney general, senator, and vice president of the United States is still somehow getting accused of being “unqualified.” These allegations persist even as she faces an opponent whose only political experience involves a lackluster four years marked by repeated failures due to his misunderstanding of the limited powers of a president.

This is not to say that prominent black figures like Obama or Harris should be venerated or are free from criticism. At the end of the day, these people are still politicians who, like any other politicians, have done reprehensible things to stay in power. However, while criticism is valid, racism is not and has no place in meaningful discourse regarding the character and policies of these black leaders.

But why does “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” get such a bad rap? Despite what some people may believe, we are not living in a “post-racial America”. Unfortunately, Obama kissing a bunch of white babies and dancing with Ellen DeGeneres on live television did not end racism in the United States. The effects of over 400 years of slavery, Jim Crow segregation, mass incarceration, redlining, and education inequity still linger in so many aspects of our society. The notion that centuries of oppression were somehow wiped away in 1865 with the 13th Amendment, or 1964 with the Civil Rights Act, or even in 2008 with the nomination of Obama, is ridiculous. Today, neighborhoods are more segregated than they have ever been, and black students continue to disproportionately suffer from unsatisfactory education. Programs with DEI objectives are meant to, while at surface level, address those inequalities in our society. They should not be bashed or morphed into some insult to discredit people of color who were able to penetrate those predominantly white spaces.

I am aware of who I am. I am a black man with dreadlocks, and people will always have preconceived notions of who I should be or how I should act. I am, and will always be proud of my identity, but I will never let my personal achievements be belittled because of assumptions that I only got to where I am because I fit some “diversity quota”. I work tirelessly for all that I accomplish, and those propagating these narrow-minded beliefs that “DEI-hires” are stealing all the positions from white people will never take that success from me.

This story was originally published on Southwest Shadow on October 30, 2024.