President Trump claims that his executive orders to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) aspire to “return the U.S. to a merit-based system.” This echoes the misguided political campaign slogan “Make America Great Again.” America never stopped being great, and DEI never detracted from a merit-based system. DEI and its supporting elements—including the civil rights movement, affirmative action, supplier diversity, and equal opportunity programs—as well as initiatives for women, veterans, and disability awareness—are designed to enhance a merit-based system by fostering the inclusion of all people, workers, and businesses into the American mainstream. This inclusion enables the best employees and businesses with the most innovative ideas, products, and services to be recognized and valued for the benefit of the nation. DEI is about making a conscious effort to treat people fairly and justly. The old system, for example, prior to the 1960s and 70s, failed to include many due to the subjective application of prejudice, racism, and sexism to systematically exclude the valuable contributions of minorities, women, and some immigrants. Even earlier, the civil service system for the government broke down due to political cronyism, which placed inept and unqualified individuals into government positions. Ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley emphasizes that without awareness programs like DEI, we rely on “...internal biases that lead us to choose people we find familiar or who resemble us—those who look like what we're accustomed to seeing, which prevents us from looking further.”
Somehow, the vision that “ALL men (and women) are created equal,” the original DEI proclamation, never got past the door of Independence Hall to penetrate the principles established in the Declaration of Independence in 1776. That ideal did not extend to enslaved people, Native Americans, or even the poor. Over the 249 years since then, we have navigated through slave rebellions, civil war, civil rights movements, riots, women’s liberation, affirmative action, equal opportunity, and supplier diversity, all in pursuit of realizing the ideal that “All men (and women) are created equal” and should be treated fairly. None of these programs, including the latest iteration, “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” were conceived or applied to undermine merit. Rather, they promoted merit on an equal footing—hiring the best candidates available, awarding contracts to the top product or service providers, and fostering the advancement of the most deserving individuals within corporations and government. The government went through reforms to establish a Merit Selection System for ensuring fair treatment and selection. Programs that advocate for equality have often been marred by jealousy, resentment, or greed from those who, perhaps for the first time, did not automatically receive promotions or contracts based solely on their race, gender, or connections.
The United States needs all of its citizens to engage in the economy for the country to thrive. Leonard Greenhalgh and James Lowery emphasize in their book Minority Business Success that if those at the bottom of society cannot generate enough wealth to sustain themselves, the government will have to tax the wealthy more to fund infrastructure, homeland security, defense, and research and development. What happens if taxing the rich fails or if the government does not assist in providing basic needs?? Greenhalgh presents a chilling graphic illustrating how an economy can spiral into total destruction when wealth is not distributed across all sectors. Our task, then, is to confront the institutional barriers to progress—“good-ole-boy” networks, racism, sexism, nepotism, unrestricted politics, and oligarchs—to make America a nation of pride and respect for all people, lest we descend into the spirals Greenhalgh anticipates or the dystopia envisioned by science fiction writer Octavia Butler in her unsettling, hopefully non-prophetic book, “Parable of the Sower.”
Special Note to Corporate America: Do not get it twisted. Supplier diversity is about business, not politics, and DEI is about maintaining a talented and motivated workforce. Do not disband Supplier Diversity even if you decide to announce cutting your DEI programs. I have spent most of the last 40 years helping minority businesses secure a small share of the US economy. That minority share is still only 3% of US business receipts!! Women-owned businesses are estimated to capture only 6% of US receipts. Together, these two segments employ just over 4 million people who buy homes, pay taxes, contribute to charities, and send children to college for the betterment of the Nation. These disheartening statistics exist alongside current supplier diversity programs that have yet to allow minorities and women to achieve parity in the business community. The business case for supplier diversity remains strong—the best ideas, products, and services available to support your business, often with flexible options and faster turn-around – and most importantly, significantly higher revenues on their books. Supplier Diversity injects money into minority communities where you operate, fueling your customer base and fostering positive public relations through suppliers who share their experiences with your company among their family and friends. Regarding employment, have you really thought through what it means when you announce that you will no longer treat your employees on a fair and equal basis, that there may not be a place for them to achieve their goals or use their full talent in your company? In the C-Suite, while women of color represent 18% of entry-level positions, they hold only 6% of C-suite roles, whereas white men constitute 34% of entry-level positions and 56% of C-suite positions. Some studies indicate that Black executives make up just 4.9% overall of executives, which breaks down to 3% Black male and 1.9% Black female. These numbers show an astounding lack of parity with the percentage that women and minorities have with the general population.
Our challenge is to dismantle barriers to progress for all people in the US, to live up to our ideals, and, ultimately, to maintain our position as a leader and example to the world.
Kenneth Clark President & Chief Operations Officer - Capitol Regional Innovation Cluster Consortium, Inc.
Former President & CEO – MD/DC Minority Supplier Development Council, Inc.
Former Director and Business Consultant, Washington, DC MBDA Business Center
Former Vice President – Verizon – Washington, DC
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