Monday, July 22,, Representative Tim Burchett, Republican, Tennessee, said that Kamala Harris was a “DEI hire.” Mr. Burchett was repeating what others in the GOP have said about DEI.
“When I hear her talk, I just scratch my head and think this is what DEI is really about,” Burchett said in an interview with Newsmax earlier this month.
What is DEI? And why are the extremists in the Repnblican Party so vociferously opposed to DEI?
To answer the first question, I read a detailed article written by Kate Heinz im BuiltIn, updated by Matthew Urwin, July 24, 2024:
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) refers to practices and policies intended to support people who come from varying backgrounds and give them the resources they need to thrive in any and all communities, whether this is the workplace, neighborhood, school, church, synagogue, or mosque, and sports. DEI frameworks take into account factors like ethnicity, race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and socio-economic classs. Diversity can also refer to differences in physical ability so community leaders can champion ways to help individuals from marginalized groups succeed.
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) is a concept and practice to recognize and value differences among people, ensure fair opportunities for everyone and foster an environment where all feel welcomed and respected.
Why is the extremist wing of the Republican Party so vociferously opposed to DEI, even using it as a pejorative term?
I can’t answer this definitively because I have not asked an extremist to explain. My hope is that Mr. Burchett and others who rail against individuals and groups who are “DEI hires” haven’t understood the true meaning of the term.
There are people from both extremes of the political, social, and religious spectrums who spout the false rhetoric and commandments of white supremacy. White supremacists reject diversity, equty, and inclusion because they somehow believe white people are supreme in every respect. To expand on this, they believe disabled women, children and men are not worthy of equty and inclusion. White supremacists believe that all people of color, citizens and immigrants alike, must read the same books they read, stay in their “places” where they belong. They wrongly equate their false and idolatrous worship of power with Christianity.
Giving Rep. Tim Burchett and other elected GOP individuals the benefit of the doubt, perhaps they have never read the United States Constitution, to which they swear an oath of allegiance. The Preamble to the Constitution reflects .
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
The Preamble to the Declaration of Independence includes these propositions:
Equality: All people are created equal
Unalienable rights: People (note: not white people or some people) are endowed by their creator with certain rights that cannot be taken away, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
Government: Governments are established to protect these rights.
We, the people is all the people.
I hope this helps, Tim.
Bailey
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