(DCNF)—The Heritage Foundation research fellow Delano Squires turned the tables on a C-SPAN caller Tuesday who asked if he believes he’s a “DEI hire.”
Under the Biden-Harris administration, the U.S. saw a ramp up in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), with many Democrats supporting the policies put in place federally and millions spent on some of the programs. Speaking about black families in America, Squires took a question from a caller named Anwar, who suggested the research fellow “look at” what the government “isn’t doing” for black Americans versus what black families should do.
After criticizing Squires’ argument, Anwar then posed his “final question,” asking if Squires considers himself a “DEI hire for Heritage.”
“Let me answer the second question first, right, in terms of being a DEI hire. There’s no part of me that believes that. I have the respect of my colleagues,” Squires said. “My work stands for itself. As I said, I’ve been writing about these issues and thinking about these issues since I was 15, but even in an official capacity for over a decade.”
“But it’s interesting that some of the same people who say that black folks need DEI and celebrate DEI will use DEI as a way to insult black people with whom they disagree,” Squires added. “I find that actually quite interesting.”
Despite Democrats’ efforts to support DEI in the workplace and other areas, a poll conducted by AP-NORC in July showed that both black and Hispanic respondents are more likely than white people to believe that DEI programs ultimately increase discrimination against minorities.
According to the data, which surveyed 1,437 adults, the polls found that less than half of Americans believe DEI has benefits for the “people it’s intended to help,” PBS reported.
The survey showed roughly four in 10 black respondents and one-third of Hispanic respondents said that DEI increases discrimination against black people, as roughly one-quarter of white adults said the same. Additionally, the data reported a close split between white adults and black and Hispanic adults on the same question of discrimination against Hispanics.
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Are they saying they can’t make it on their own? They need governments help to stand on their own two feet? It appears so.