Harris: GOP continues attacks on programs that promote diversity, equity and opportunity

Vice President Kamala Harris on Saturday criticized Republican attacks on diversity programs and the recent Supreme Court decision against affirmative action during an appearance in Boston at the NAACP’s annual national convention.

“The Supreme Court just demolished, just basically did away with affirmative action, which was all about access to opportunity,” Harris told attendees.

On June 29, the six conservative justices on the court ruled in Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College that affirmative action in college admissions violates the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Harris singled out efforts to get rid of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in both public education and private business as part of an attempt to impede access to opportunity for disadvantaged groups.

 “There are people who are intentionally trying to destroy access to opportunity for those who have been left out or overlooked,” she said.

Diversity programs have been used by public and private businesses and organizations to increase participation and engagement among historically marginalized groups. In recent years the programs have come under attack by Republican lawmakers and conservative media outlets like Fox News.

The Republican majority in the House of Representatives on July 14 passed the National Defense Authorization Act, which defines the policies of and funds the Department of Defense, and included provisions that would eliminate the department’s Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The version of the bill that passed in the Democratic-led Senate did not contain those provisions; congressional leaders will have to reconcile the differences.

Republican-led state legislatures have also targeted diversity programs.

In May, the Texas Legislature passed a measure forbidding diversity offices at public colleges and universities. That same month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is currently running for president, signed legislation that would ban schools in his state from spending funds on diversity programs.

“Our state’s so-called leaders’ unrelenting assaults on fundamental rights have made Black residents and visitors alike feel unwelcome and unsafe in our state,” Leon W. Russell, chair of the board of directors of the NAACP, wrote in a June op-ed published on the association’s website. In his column, Russell specifically referred to Florida’s anti-diversity legislation and changes to the state education curriculum that instruct teachers to say that enslaved people benefited from slavery.

Republicans in Wisconsin are continuing their attempts to cut funding for diversity programs in the University of Wisconsin System.

President Joe Biden has expressed support for diversity programs, particularly at the federal level. The federal workforce is over 2 million people, ranking the federal government among the largest employers in the United States.

Biden signed an executive order on his first day in office in 2021 instructing the federal government to “pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all,” reversing an executive order from former President Donald Trump that banned racial sensitivity training for federal contractors.

Biden also signed executive orders supporting federal diversity efforts in June 2021 and in February of this year.

“By advancing equity, the Federal Government can support and empower all Americans, including the many communities in America that have been underserved, discriminated against, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality,” Biden wrote in his most recent order.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.