The mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, defended diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives after President Donald Trump signed executive orders axing the policy.
Randall Woodfin explained during a Thursday CNN interview that he is against Trump’s new measures, and he believes it is white women and veterans who benefit “the most” from DEI.
“We all know those who benefit the most from DEI are veterans as well as white women. And so DEI is always going well beyond African-Americans and other minorities,” said Woodfin, a Democrat who was elected as Birmingham’s mayor in 2017.
“When you say you don’t want to have programs that support veterans, when you say you don’t want to have programs that support women, etc., what are you really saying?” the mayor continued. “And so, it’s beyond frustrating and disappointing. It just goes to show you that 47 told us what he would do, and he’s doing it.”
A 2024 McKinsey & Company study found that white women hold 22% of high-level corporate positions compared to minority women, who hold 7%. The group suggested that the numbers show white women disproportionately benefit from corporate diversity efforts.
The military has been one avenue ripe for DEI hiring. After George Floyd, a black man, was killed by a white policeman in 2020, the Pentagon unrolled a series of DEI initiatives designed to check so-called “unconscious” or “implicit” bias and root out perceived racism in the military.
In June 2023, the Supreme Court handed down a ruling on affirmative action in the education system that suggested DEI efforts could violate the Constitution. The court ruled that students must be treated based on their individuality, not on the basis of race. A host of U.S. corporations and businesses have since rolled back their DEI initiatives, citing the 2023 ruling.
Woodfin fought back against the growing opposition to DEI on Thursday.
“Look, we’ve made the words diversity, we’ve made the words equity, we’ve, as in others, made those words inclusion, bad words. Inclusion is not a bad thing. There is no such thing as going too far as it relates to being inclusive,” he said.
“There’s no such thing as going too far as it relates to equity. This is America. Equity is the right thing to do. There’s no such thing as diversity being bad. America is a very diverse place. I think diversity, equity, and inclusion has been weaponized for some to use to say it’s taken away from others,” the mayor continued.
Woodfin’s plea came after years of criticism that DEI measures discriminate against people on the basis of sex and skin color, undermine a culture of meritocracy, and can fill positions with unqualified personnel.
Trump led with those concerns on the campaign trail last year. After he was sworn into office Monday and delivered an inaugural speech promising to “forge a society that is colorblind and merit-based,” the president followed through on campaign promises to crack down on DEI.
In a series of executive actions this week, the president prevented the federal hiring of individuals “based on their race, sex, or religion,” eliminated federal government DEI programs and jobs, and mandated a review of all federal grants that went to DEI programs.
The president further eliminated a Biden administration policy that pushed DEI hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration. Trump also directed the U.S. attorney general to develop “strategies to encourage the private sector to end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences.”
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Woodfin blasted the efforts in comments, comparing Trump’s executive actions to measures Republicans have taken in his home state. Last year, Gov. Kay Ivey (R-AL) signed a bill banning DEI programs in Alabama’s public schools and universities.
“Americans are witnessing the ‘Alabamification’ of the federal government. We’ve seen in Alabama legislators create laws to get rid of DEI, and the governor signed into law removing DEI from colleges and universities and other aspects throughout the state,” Woodfin said Thursday. “And so we’ve seen this dance. And the unfortunate part is other Americans have to witness this at the national level.”