Jelani Cobb, a distinguished staff writer at The New Yorker and dean of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, dives into the political framing of diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) under the Trump administration. He discusses how D.E.I. became a scapegoat for societal problems and the impact of recent Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action. Cobb also draws parallels to historical periods of fear, comparing anti-D.E.I. sentiment to the McCarthy era, while addressing the media's role in this contentious landscape.
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DEI as a Boogeyman
The Trump administration uses DEI as a scapegoat for various national issues, including a plane crash.
DEI programs, typically promoting workplace diversity, are framed as discriminatory.
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Academic Fears
Junior faculty members fear researching sensitive topics like race or gender due to potential career repercussions.
They worry about difficulties in securing tenure or grants if their research is deemed unfavorable by the Trump administration.
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DEI's Effectiveness
DEI initiatives aim to create equal opportunities but are often criticized for being ineffective.
Some view DEI as mere corporate insurance to shield against discrimination accusations.
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This book is a trenchant and timeless examination of the still-contested meanings of President Barack Obama's election. Jelani Cobb investigates the civil rights movement forces that helped produce Obama's victory and inquires into how American society does and does not change. The book, reissued with a new introduction, reflects on the seismic impact of the Obama presidency and its ongoing influence on America. Cobb teases apart the paradoxes embodied in race and patriotism, identity and citizenship, progress and legacy, offering original insights into America's future.
Many of the most draconian measures implemented in the first couple weeks of the new Trump Administration have been justified as emergency actions to root out D.E.I.—diversity, equity, and inclusion—including the freeze (currently rescinded) of trillions of dollars in federal grants. The tragic plane crash in Washington, the President baselessly suggested, might also be the result of D.E.I. Typically, D.E.I. describes policies at large companies or institutions to encourage more diverse workplaces. In the Administration’s rhetoric, D.E.I. is discrimination pure and simple, and the root of much of what ails the nation. “D.E.I. is the boogeyman for anything,” Jelani Cobb tells David Remnick. Cobb is a longtime staff writer, and the dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. “If there’s a terrible tragedy . . . if there is something going wrong in any part of your life, if there are fires happening in California, then you can bet that, somehow, another D.E.I. is there.” Although affirmative-action policies in university admissions were found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, D.E.I. describes a broad array of actions without a specific definition. “It’s that malleability,” Cobb reflects, that makes D.E.I. a useful target, “one source that you can use to blame every single failing or shortcoming or difficulty in life on.”
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