When DEI (Diversity, equity, and inclusion) was struck down and rolled back from companies and government programs, it caused an uproar within the nation. When immigration laws and birthright citizenship were questioned, it blew the door open, putting every civil law in jeopardy.
“We are at a crossroads because while many Americans remain underrepresented – from state houses to colleges and businesses – we continue to see the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of policies that eliminate efforts to require and secure greater diversity and opportunities for all in America,” Rawle Andrews, a highly regarded attorney and the current president of The Bar Association of D.C., said.
Andrews said he sees the nation rushing to roll back the advances made during the Civil Rights Movement and a hardening of the American spirit.
“It took sacrifice from citizens of all races and religions to achieve the progress we’ve made, including the right for all Americans to quality education, unencumbered voting, and the opportunity to purchase a home wherever a person wants to live,” he said. “But under the current administration, the strategy is clear: to roll back the clock. Nothing is sacred, nothing is guaranteed anymore. For those who recognize the benefits of diversity, we must keep our eyes on the prize.”
Andrew stated that we could see a return to “separate but equal” laws unless those who believe in the benefits of diversity become more vocal and stand their ground.
One group that comes to question that would push back against these rollbacks would be the Black community. As the discussion started on social media, many Black people agreed that separate but equal would be a movement they would get behind. Some commenters even went as far as to say,” Martin should have listened to Malcolm,” and ” We wanted equality, but never wanted to sit in the restaurant with others.” Now, this begs the question, was integration the correct move, or should the Black community close the backyard gate to the cookout?
While you can look back at history and consider the removal of redlining and the destruction of several flourishing Black communities as a reaction to integration, it was racism and environmental racism at its finest. According to Cesus.gov, from 1890 through 1940, Black women had a higher median age at first marriage than White women. Currently, Black women rank as the highest unmarried group. In 1965, only 8 percent of childbirths in the Black community occurred out of wedlock. In 2010, that figure was 41 percent, and today, out-of-wedlock childbirths in the Black community are at an astonishing 72 percent.
While there are multiple other reasons for Black unemployment being higher for Black men than anybody else, before integration, In 1954, white men had a zero percent unemployment rate, while African-American men experienced about a 4 percent rate. By 2010, it was 16.7 percent for Black men compared to 7.7 percent for white men. The workforce in 1954 was 79 percent African-American. By 2011, that number had decreased to 57 percent.
Dr. Shantella Sherman, an educator and historian, wants Black people not to be fooled and to understand the foundation built for them. “Our ancestors, the elders, were never fooled, and we shouldn’t allow ourselves to be fooled either,” she said. “In hard times, Blacks worked two or three jobs, took in roommates to pay the bills, and respected and supported our institutions, like the church. We must get back to the basics.”
She continued, “Diversity is just a word because nothing has changed in America since the days of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington – two of the biggest slaveholders of their time. We can ill-afford to be distracted by the games being played by the current administration and the propaganda being disseminated by mainstream media and high-powered social media outlets.”
