The whitelash against diversity, equity and inclusion, explained
Opinion: The furor over DEI is just the latest example of the historical phenomenon known as "whitelash."
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
What is a whitelash?
A portmanteau of “whiteness” and “backlash,” the word whitelash is defined as “a hostile or violent reaction by white people to the advances or influx of other racial or ethnic groups.” While a backlash is characterized by a negative or violent reaction to something that actually happened, a whitelash is usually a reactionary response to the prospect of something that might possibly have a negative effect on the dominant culture.
What causes a whitelash?
Black people existing.
The unfounded fear of Black freedmen using their political power to oppress white Americans begat a proactive era of racial terrorism during Reconstruction. Lyncher mobs blamed their extrajudicial murders on Black men’s unquenchable thirst for white women. Segregationist white moms spat on Black children because sitting next to black children in social studies class would upend the natural order. But, as one 17-year-old Morehouse college student wrote about pro-lynching segregationists who used violence to prevent race-mixing:
“[M]ost people who kick up this kind of dust know that it is simple dust to obscure the real question of rights and opportunities. It is fair to remember that almost the total of race mixture in America has come, not at Negro initiative, but by the acts of those very white men who talk loudest of race purity.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
Whiteness is the sole cause of whitelashes.
Is there a way to recognize a whitelash is taking place?
One of the most reliable ways to differentiate between racial backlash and a political or philosophical difference is to recognize the racial differences in definitions.
Early onset whitelash is typified by the effort to demonize racial progress by redefining a common term. Nearly a century after Black Americans began using “woke” to describe a state of being “aware,” white people began associating it with oppressive agendas involving non-white mermaids and transgender athletes. Critical race theory existed for decades until it was redefined as something that made white kids uncomfortable. The prefix “anti” meant “not” or “against” until Ibram Kendi attached it to the word “racism” and created a new term that meant “anti-white.”
Or maybe “white” is synonymous with “racist.”
To fully comprehend the whitelash against diversity, equity and inclusion, you must understand both the white and Black definitions of the words.
What is the white definition of whitelash?
There really isn’t one.
At one point, pro-segregationist policies like the Southern Manifesto and Massive Resistance were legitimate political movements. Mississippi Sen. Theodore Bilbo justified Southern conservatives’ opposition to anti-lynching legislation by telling his fellow senators that he was protecting “the raped and outraged daughters of Dixie, as well as the … perpetrators of these crimes that the red-blooded Anglo-Saxon white Southern men will not tolerate.”
Because the historical hostility to racial progress is often seen as reasonable, white backlashes are often seen as a “product of outdated thinking” because “it was a different time.”
What is diversity?
Actual definition: “The condition of having or being composed of differing elements, especially the inclusion of people of different races cultures, etc. in a group or organization.”
White definition: An anti-white conspiracy to replace white people through immigration laws, affirmative action quotas and corporate DEI policies. Also: white genocide.
While most people assume that it is beneficial when people with diverse backgrounds, cultures and perspectives unite for a common goal, Caucasian race theorists like Tucker Carlson believe diversity is a weakness. According to these white powerbrokers, “diversity isn’t our strength” because it makes us “hate each other” and renders people unable to communicate with their besties.
For instance, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ fight to change the “woke” policies at the publicly funded New College resulted in a whiter, more male student body, mostly from majority-white Christian schools
What is equity?
Actual definition: “Justice according to natural law or right, specifically freedom from bias or favoritism.”
White definition: The attempt to create a Marxist society that produces the same outcome for everyone. Also: equality of outcome
In a truly equitable society, everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed based on their intelligence, ability and work ethic. But because whitelashers confuse equity with equality — whether through ignorance or disingenuous propaganda — smug white men like Bill Maher have managed to conflate equity with an insidious, anti-white idea to manufacture a society that produces the same outcome for everyone.
For instance, we know that students who attend majority-Black schools receive less funding, fewer instructional resources and fewer advanced classes than white students. We know that college entrance exams reflect socioeconomic status. And we know that most Black students attend schools where the majority of students are non-white.
To achieve equity, many institutions of higher learning factor these verifiable educational disparities into their admissions policy. Yet, the same conservatives who oppose education reform and social program funding also claim college admission policies that address these inequities are “woke” and anti-white.
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What is inclusion?
Real definition: “The act or practice of including and accommodating people who have historically been excluded (as because of their race, gender, sexuality, or ability).”
White definition: The act of excluding intelligent white people by ignoring their merit.
Simply put, inclusion is an attempt to rectify exclusion. But when viewed through the hostile lens of whiteness, inclusion is seen as something much more dangerous. That’s because the white backlash historically associated with white supremacy is premised upon the idea of zero-sum thinking.
By exercising their constitutional right to participate in democracy, Black people voting reduced the political power of every white voter. Students who benefit from race-based admissions are stealing slots from white students. Inclusive employment practices somehow exclude white people. See how it works?
Is there an example of the whitelash against diversity, equity or inclusion?
The current whitelash against DEI policies in the airline industry is a perfect example of this phenomenon.
Faced with a shortage of pilots — partly because pilot qualifications are expensive — airline companies wondered how they could bolster their slate of trained pilots. A 2022 report notes that 94% of American pilots are white, so the airline industry smartly decided to look in traditionally overlooked places to address this deficiency. United Airlines even opened a flight school and promised that half of its recruits would be women or people of color.
To be clear, the industry didn’t lower its standards or exclude white men; it just diversified its workforce. Yet, somehow, people interpreted these efforts as an attack on qualified, unemployed white pilots who don’t exist. Candace Owens claims she’d be “terrified” if she got on the plane and saw a woman pilot, while conservative race hustler Charlie Kirk said: “I’m sorry. If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’s qualified.’”
While neither Charlie Kirk nor Candace Owens have earned a college degree or professional training in any area of expertise, they exemplify the white backlash against diversity. Their baseless assumptions have nothing to do with merit, DEI or leftist policies. The reason why they believe Black or female pilots are less qualified is that they are bigots.
How can we fix this?
While the solutions to the problems of white supremacy are complex, there are three things you must remember when addressing a whitelash.
- Don’t bother with telling the truth. When a white backlash becomes part of the culture war, the truth becomes meaningless. Ida B. Wells spent tabulating the statistics to prove that lynchings were not associated with crime, to no avail. Martin Luther King Jr.’s above-mentioned letter did not bring white people to their senses. Numerous studies show that police violence is not associated with crime rates, but no one cares.
- Don’t wait for white people: There isn’t a single movement for Black liberation or freedom in the history of America that had the support of a majority of white people. The expectation that there is something that will suddenly change the minds of your opposition will leave you sorely disappointed.
- Keep fighting: Progress is slow but the whole point of white backlash is to slow progress and protect whiteness.
Ultimately, the backlash against DEI is no different than any other whitelash that has ever existed. The abolition movement was divisive. Anti-lynching activists were “subversive.” Civil rights activists were Communists. The Black Power Movement was “radical.” Talking about Black history is “Marxist.”
America is a white lash.
Michael Harriot is an economist, cultural critic and championship-level Spades player. His New York Times bestseller Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America is available everywhere books are sold.
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