Diversity - Equity - Inclusion

by Lilly Gioia

Here’s an interesting LIST:  What could all these businesses have in common?  MATTEL TOYS - NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE –  EXPEDIA -  TYSON FOODS –  SANOFI PHARMACEUTICALS – NIKE SNEAKERS – ANHEUISER BUSCH - IBM - ALASKA AIRLINES – MORGAN STANLEY – & MICROSOFT ??  45 Companies in all.  It turns out that they are on Stephen Miller’s DEI Investigations List!

Stephen Miller is one of President Trump’s closest allies and serves in the White House as Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy.  He has a history of violent opposition to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in any form.  President Trump’s early Executive Orders banned DEI in all federal agencies and the military.  They resulted in the firing of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Air Force General Charles Brown and Navy Chief of Operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, the first woman ever to serve on the Joint Chiefs.  General Brown is a highly decorated leader with over 40 years of outstanding service.  He just happens also to be Black.  Half of Admiral Franchetti’s 40 year Naval career was spent at sea. The new Defense Chief Pete Hegseth believes they were merely DEI hires.

Agencies began erasing DEI in February by erasing Black History Month.  Thousands of federal agency website pages were taken down where there was any reference to words connected to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.  

But two weeks ago Business Week reported tactics led by Stephen Miller to pressure private businesses to end DEI, threatening US Justice Dept. criminal investigations and legal actions if private businesses refuse to abandon their DEI initiatives.  These companies targeted for “illegal DEI” have a combined market value of almost $10 trillion.  Miller is after any hiring practices based on gender or race, any scholarships based on race, and funding for startups owned by underrepresented groups.  Miller’s group, America First Legal, has been the most active in pursuing DEI programs that they say discriminate against white men Business Week said.

Beyond the issues of equal opportunity and DEI elimination, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker spelled out the danger we are facing in his recent State of the State speech when he warned:
“It’s in fashion at the federal level right now to just indiscriminately slash school funding, healthcare coverage, support for farmers and veteran’s services.  they say they’re doing it to eliminate inefficiencies. But only an idiot would think we should eliminate emergency response in a natural disaster, education and health care for disabled children, clean air and water programs and  monitoring of nursing home abuse, nuclear reactor regulation and cancer research. 

If you think I’m overreacting and sounding the alarm too soon, consider this:  it took the Nazis one month, 3 weeks, 2 days, 8 hours & 40 minutes to dismantle a constitutional republic.  
All tyranny requires your fear and your silence and your compliance.  Democracy requires your courage.  so gather your justice and humanity Illinois and do not let the tragic spirit of despair overcome us when our country needs us the most.”

Thank you Governor Pritzker – I hope that goes for Pennsylvania too!