Jelani Cobb, a historian and dean at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism, joins to critique the Trump administration's portrayal of diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I.) as a scapegoat for societal issues. Cobb discusses how D.E.I. is manipulated as a political tool, linking it to everything from academic concerns to media narratives. He draws parallels to historical boogeymen like the Red Scare, emphasizing the malleability of D.E.I. rhetoric and its implications for marginalized communities in today’s political climate.
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insights INSIGHT
DEI's Goals and Criticisms
DEI aims to create equal opportunities, addressing historical disparities and systemic biases.
Critics, however, argue DEI initiatives are often performative and ineffective.
insights INSIGHT
Trump's DEI Strategy
Trump strategically targets DEI to appeal to those who feel white Americans are disadvantaged.
He uses it as a scapegoat, capitalizing on existing racial resentment and anxieties.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Trump's Executive Order on Education
Trump issued an executive order diverting funds from schools teaching "discriminatory equity ideology."
This order could lead to harassment of teachers who discuss race and oppression.
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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been justified as emergency actions to root out D.E.I.—diversity, equity, and inclusion—including the freeze (currently rescinded) of trillions of dollars in federal grants.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.”
The Political Scene | The New Yorker 