“There’s What We Say and There’s What We Mean by What We Say:” Understanding the Weaponization and Politicization of ‘DEI’

This piece is one of three parts meant to reflect on our current political moment and the implications of the racialized rhetoric that has been flooding political dialogue, particularly around the Democratic nominee for the November election: Vice President Kamala Harris. Inspired by a Twitter post, in our next three newsletter stories, we consider how the phrases “DEI,” “woke,” and “CRT” have functioned to vilify Black people.   

Amidst our looming November presidential election, our current Vice President, and the Democratic nominee, has been the latest, but not only, target to face the incendiary and bigoted comment: “DEI hire” or “DEI candidate.” It is not a meaningless utterance and should be understood as nothing less than a slur 

to denigrate a Black woman. Of course, “DEI hire” is not exclusive to Black women nor is it new to the countless racial tropes that have been utilized to weaponize language in political messaging, particularly around people of color in power. 

Ironically, at one point in time “DEI” was getting watered down. What started as a descriptor of initiatives seeking to address racial issues in the workplace, largely became a performative label that was intended to signal an organization’s virtue as an employer, but was not often that meaningful. Maybe it meant an annual implicit bias training. Maybe it meant a mission statement that outlines how much an organization values all people, no matter their identity, culture, or background. Maybe an organization was saying “DEI” but really meant diversity. Ultimately, the integrity of the term was lost. 

Clearly, its usage and meaning has evolved. 

Let’s strip “DEI” to its most basic definitions: 

Diversity is both recognizing and appreciating the differences among people along race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, age, ability, and political beliefs. Equity is just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. Inclusion is creating an environment where all individuals and groups, regardless of their social identities, feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued. 

For those of us who are committed to the learning and unlearning required to advance racial justice and co-liberation, the simplicity is glaring. To us, these definitions are a fundamental facet of understanding  injustice and the system of White supremacy. As such, I highlight these definitions not to “teach,” but to reinforce how “DEI” is being intentionally misrepresented and to emphasize that distortion in current political discourse. Make no mistake, there are people in our country who do not even know what the phrase nor individual words mean and yet it so effortlessly makes its way into political rhetoric. 

Ultimately, “DEI hire” has become a racist dog whistle, a term coined by Professor Ian Haney Lopéz, that promotes the fallacy that DEI initiatives are perverting “fairness” in this country. In turn, these dog whistles are inherently shaping a narrative that fuels White anxiety around diversity by insinuating that “reverse discrimination” will make White people the minority. 

When you say “DEI hire,” you are saying “only we [White people] can do these jobs.”  You are signaling “mediocrity,” “unqualified,” and “undeserving.” Truthfully, when you say “DEI hire” you are really saying “N-word candidate.” This racial epithet might not have the same intonation as the N-word, but is absolutely having the same effect. 

What is often overlooked is the impact that “DEI” as an employee’s label has on the psyches of people of color. When I was a graduate student and disillusioned by an opportunity for professional development in my field and quite frankly, job security, I accepted a job offer knowing the reality of inequity in this organization. For context, I was a Black and Japanese woman amongst an all White team. No, not just a team. An all White department. That demographic is ubiquitous for many of us. However, it was not just the stark lack of representation. It was the self-doubt that came from it. I was constantly scrutinizing my experiences, team dynamics, and my worth as an employee of this organization. Am I being hired because I am the most qualified or because they need to show that they care about a diverse workforce? Am I being asked to sit on a hiring committee because I am good at my job or because they need to say they had a “diverse committee?” No one had to outwardly label me as “DEI hire” to impact me. Your relationship with yourself becomes complicated and in turn, your confidence becomes depleted. 

I’ll leave you with this: if it was true that you got a job just because you are a Black woman, what would your workplace look like? What would the country look like? I promise you, it’s not this. 
 

Are you interested in growing your skills in recognizing and disrupting these racist dog whistles in real time? Click here for a free resource from the nINA Collective to support you. For additional opportunities to practice this skill in community, join our community of practice.