This post will be brief… because it’s really not that complicated.
Since the peaceful transition of power in January, the new administration in Washington has undertaken a massive effort to kill DEI initiatives in the federal government, in businesses, in colleges and universities.
Just about everywhere.
Captain’s Note: DEI means “diversity, equity, and inclusion”. In short, DEI is an initiative designed to encourage employers to look beyond straight, white, Christian males to flesh out their workforce.
Yes, the Republican Party, which has always claimed to be Pro-Business – in much the same way they once claimed to be “the Party of Law and Order” – is now demanding businesses bow in fearful allegiance to the president’s whims.
And sadly, many are caving in to his demands.
Almost too readily.
It’s pitiful to watch, really.
It almost makes the Captain think there are a lot of closet racists in America.
But surely not.
I mean, it’s 2025.
We’re more than 60 years removed from the signing of the Civil Rights Act which prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion, and national origin in public accommodations, employment, and other areas of life.
Haven’t we moved beyond all that by now?
Apparently not.
In the president’s narrow worldview, there couldn’t possibly be persons of color who are smarter or more qualified to take so many high-paying corporate jobs.
His argument is that employers are being forced to choose less-qualified candidates in order to fulfill DEI quotas.
Therefore, obviously, white men are being discriminated against.
One speaker at the president’s inauguration dared quoted Martin Luther King Jr’s speech, wherein the great civil rights activist dreamed of a world where his children would be judged “not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
Twisting Dr. King’s words, the MAGA world is claiming that because of DEI initiatives, white men are being judged unfairly due to the color of their skin.
In fact, now THEY talk about color-blindness – as in, “It’s okay to hire all white men because we’re not supposed to notice there are people of color in the room.”
Color-blindness.
After the recent air tragedy in Washington DC, the president whipped his followers into a frenzy, blaming the collision on DEI hiring during the Biden administration.
The best people were not in the tower.
Captain’s Note: As far as I have heard, neither the air traffic controller nor the pilots of the airplane and helicopter were people of color.
It was also not because a shortage of air traffic controllers which left one individual to handle the jobs of two.
Or because the president had already fired key individuals in the FAA.
The vice-president, an unqualified individual himself – who has his job only because he is a white male backed by other white men with big money – claims that over the past 10 years there have been hundreds of headlines of white men seeking ATC jobs who were turned down due to the color of their skin.
That is an outright lie, but then, this is what we’ve come to expect from this nascent and inexperienced puppet administration.
Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) brought it home after a recent round of interviews with potential Cabinet picks, a lot widely noted for its lack of qualifications, asking what qualifications did they have other than the color of their skin?
A valid question, Senator!
Now mates, admittedly there is little this ol’ Captain can do to stop what’s going on in Washington right now.
Dammit!
But here’s a hopeful word: the Captain – and his church – are not at all beholden to the government to do its bidding.
Yep, he can’t fire me!
As followers of Jesus Christ, we serve a higher authority – who gave us an example through his words and actions for how we should comport ourselves during this life: caring for one another, caring for the stranger among us, caring even for our enemies.
Captain’s Note: Yer Captain is still working on that last one.
Therefore, rest assured that if you sail with the Captain, I commit to you – as best I am able – to continue to work for diversity, equity, and inclusion in every aspect of life, community, and government.
And, like Dr. King, I truly dream of a day when people are judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character – which the current administration sorely lacks.
