February 5, 2025 • 38 mins
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In this episode of 'The Last Conversation,' host Stephan delves into the complexities of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and its significance in workplaces and schools. The episode begins with a moment of silence for the victims of American Eagle Flight 5342, followed by a critique of the President's response to the tragedy. Stephan argues against the politicization of DEI and emphasizes its importance in bridging gaps for marginalized communities. He also explores DEI programs' history and ongoing challenges, touching on affirmative action and corporate commitments. Additionally, the show covers the controversial topic of birthright citizenship, its historical roots, and recent legal battles. The episode concludes with a call to action for listeners to remain vigilant and advocate for inclusive policies.
00:00 DEI
00:23 Intro Monolong
04:00 DEI
29:23 Birthright
To all my Melanated People (Black & Brown), it's never a sign of weakness to ask for help when you really need it. Life is not cupcakes and rainbows—struggles are what make us stronger!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Microphone (Camo) & Camo-1 (00:00):
Hey everyone, my name is Stephan,
and welcome to another episodeof The Last Conversation.
Today's episode, we are going totalk about DEI exclusively, but
as I said in a past episode, weare going to also talk a little
bit about birthrightcitizenship.
Let's get started.
Microphone (Camo) & Camo-2 (00:23):
So before we get started with our
show today, I do want to take amoment of silence for the
American Eagle Flight 5342.
Because we did lose 63 people.
So we're gonna take a moment ofsilence for them.
Okay, so we're not going to getinto that story because it's not
(00:44):
on the docket, but I wanted tomention that because if you saw
the president's remarks on it,he goes to doing a blame game.
And let me just hop on my littlespiel and I will get right off
of it and then we will startwith the real show.
As the President of the UnitedStates, we are looking for you
(01:06):
to comfort the country and tellus that flying is still safe,
this was just a very freakaccident and that you're praying
for the families that have lostloved ones on that flight, and
showing sympathy and saying thatyou're going to visit, the crash
site and you're going to callthe victims families.
(01:27):
That is what I'm expecting for apresident to do, but
unfortunately, we don't havethat type of president.
We have a president who wouldrather play the blame game and
be like, Oh, well, it'sDemocrats fault.
It's DEI's fault because theyhire incompetent traffic
controllers and like, why areyou doing this?
So I'm expecting a president whowould rather play the blame game
and be like, Oh, well, it'sDEI's fault because they hire
incompetent traffic controllersand The thought behind that is
(01:49):
so degrading because you are,you're just trying to create an
enemy, right?
It's a freak accident.
It's not about playing the blamegame.
It's about trying to find outwhat are the answers, what
happened, how can we make surethis does not happen again,
(02:09):
right?
And to say, oh, well, thetraffic controller was a DEI
hire.
It's like, what does that haveto do with how this accident
happened?
And then he goes on to say inthe press conference, if you
look it up on TikTok, he saysthat the DEI hire was
unqualified for that position.
(02:30):
And let me tell you, the FAAcame out, did a press
conference, and said howextensively the training is.
One, you can't be older than 32years old.
You, it's like four years oftraffic controller school.
So these, you can't get pastthat.
Most people can barely get pastcertain things.
(02:51):
So if you're in four years oftraffic controller school,
you're not unqualified.
You're qualified.
You passed all the tests, right?
And so my take on that was thatyou are just a useless, pathetic
excuse for a person for you tosit here and try and play the
blame game and especially blameD.
E.
I.
(03:12):
Which seems to be the commonenemy in the Republican Party.
So if anyone is not a white man,you are a DEI hire, and this
administration does not likeyou, right?
They say, oh, well, we're herefor merit.
Merit does not exist in a whiteAmerica, right?
White corporate America.
(03:32):
It just doesn't exist.
So, let me get off my soapbox.
We'll be right back so we cantalk about DEI.
Microphone (Camo) & Camo-4 (03:38):
Now, before we start talking about
DEI, I want to ask you, thepeople who are listening to this
podcast, a question.
Do you believe that DEI isnecessary in this country?
that is my question for you.
Do you believe it belongs in theworkplace?
(03:58):
Do you believe it belongs inschools?
do you believe it, right?
Do you believe the reason of whyit was created?
Do you feel as though if youtook this out, And just replace
it with merit.
Do you think those marginalizedcommunities would still have an
equal opportunity at gettingthose prestigious jobs?
(04:19):
That's the question that I posefor you.
Now experts on DEI have sharedwhat their version of what DEI
stands for.
So let's get into it.
The first one is diversity.
It is embracing the differenceseveryone brings to the table,
whether those are someone'srace, age, ethnicity, religion,
(04:40):
gender, sexual orientation,physical ability, or other
aspects of social identity, Thenwe move on to E, which is, you
can either use equity orequality, whichever one.
Is treating everyone fairly andproviding equal opportunity.
And then you also haveinclusion.
It's respecting everyone'svoice, creating a culture in
(05:01):
which people from allbackgrounds feel encouraged to
express their ideas andperspectives.
DEI was created becausemarginalized communities have
not always had equalopportunities for jobs or felt a
sense of belonging in majoritywhite corporate settings, said
Daniel Ugg founder of theCourage Collective.
He goes on to say that this isthe geniuses of why some of
(05:24):
these programs exist, he said.
It was an attempt to try tocreate workplaces where more or
all people can thrive, right?
So when we look at DEI and whatI like to tell people is that
DEI is everyone except whitemen.
(05:47):
And even if, and there are somepeople out there who are white
women, you are a DEI becauselet's remember probably almost
60, 70 years ago, you barely hadthe right to vote.
You were put into boxes of whereyou could work.
Or vote, right?
Everything was through yourhusband.
(06:08):
If you didn't have a husband,you couldn't do absolutely
nothing, right?
So when you hear people talkabout DEI, that is everyone who
is not a white male, that isessentially giving you a voice
at that table as essentiallygetting you that interview at
that corporate prestigious jobthat maybe.
(06:30):
You weren't going to get, right?
DEI, in my view, is a bridge.
It is that way to get people whoare not white men, into those
places, right?
And something that I, when youtalk about companies that are
backing away from DEI, I look atit as, your customers aren't
(06:53):
just white men, right?
You have a variety of differentraces and religions that Buy
stuff from your store.
Hell, McDonald's has made mostof America fat anyway So I don't
understand why they would bepulling out of DEI.
You have Target And all theseother companies that are backing
(07:14):
away or changing theirInitiative on DEI and it's like
well, I want representation inmy company because I have
customers all different who buymy product.
But Republicans has made it aenemy.
They have made it enemy numberone, right next to transgender
people, right?
Because they feel as though ifyou are a DEI hire, you're not
(07:38):
qualified for the job.
And that is completely bullshit,because let me tell you, someone
who has a different skin colorcould have even more
qualifications than their whitecounterpart.
And the only reason why theyprobably won't get that
interview is because they lookedat the application and said, oh,
well, they're black.
Who knows if all thesequalifications are real?
Maybe they made them up.
(08:01):
Right?
So that's the issue that we'refighting with.
DEI is not an enemy.
DEI is a bridge to get us intothose places.
that goes for government aswell.
That goes for just almostanything.
The origins of DEI program dateback to the Civil Rights
Movement, which played a pivotalrole in accelerating efforts to
(08:23):
create more diverse andinclusion workplaces said
Dominique Hollins, founder ofDEI Consulting Firm.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964outlawed employment
discrimination based on race,gender, sex, color, and national
origins.
It also banned segregation inpublic spaces, like public
(08:43):
schools and libraries.
Title IX of the Civil Rights Actestablished the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, or theEEOC, which works to eliminate
employment discrimination.
In the 1960s and 70s, employeesbegan filing discrimination
lawsuits with the EEOC.
And many companies startedincorporating diversity into
(09:06):
their business strategies byproviding diversity training,
according to a 2008 reportpublished by the Academy of
Management, Learning andEducation.
These diversity training effortsemerged around the time
affirmative action began byexecutive order of then
President John F.
Kennedy.
Although the concept may seemsimilar, Affirmative Action is
(09:28):
different from DEI as it isrequired federal contractors by
executive orders to treatapplicants and employees with
equal based on race, color,religion, and sex.
Colleges and universities alsoused Affirmative Action to boost
enrollment of students of colorat majority white schools, but
the Supreme Court in 2003 guttedthe Affirmative Action ruling
(09:50):
that race conscious collegeadministrations was
unconstitutional.
Some diversity efforts lostmomentum after GOP President
Ronald Reagan in the 1980sbacked corporate deregulation
policies asserting companiesshould address discrimination
internally.
In the coming decades, manycompanies kept pushing for DEI
(10:12):
focused jobs and training in thepiecemeal fashion rather than
creating ongoing programs anddedicated teams.
So, when you look at it, DEIreally started back during the
Civil Rights era, right?
It was to bridge that gap, tomake sure that there was
(10:34):
diversity in the workplace.
Remember, back in segregation,there were separate water
fountains that weren't cleaned.
There were bathrooms thatweren't cleaned.
White people thought that.
People of color were disgusting,or we had germs and all this
other stuff, and you can go lookat it, we're not doing a history
lesson here right now, butthat's when it started, to
(10:56):
bridge that gap, to get peopleof a different race section, all
that, into the workplace, intoschools, right?
As I said, it's in schools, it'sin the workplaces, just in
public, right?
And I remember I watched aninterview,
Microphone (Camo) & Camo- (11:14):
Let's see how DEI looked in the
workplace, in 2023, 61 percentof U.
S.
adults said their workplace hadpolicies focusing on fairness in
hiring, promotions, and pay.
Thrivant, for example, hasresource groups for women in
leadership, young professional,black employees, Hispanic and
military veterans, among others.
(11:35):
Baker told CNN in a previousinterview, it's D.
I.
Training teach employees how tounderstand and bridge cultural
differences in the workplace,she said, adding tried and also
seeks job candidates withdiversity in the race.
Geography, gender, industrybackground.
(11:56):
Many corporations tie DEI totheir business strategies.
Diversity is related to ourbusiness growth Baker said.
It's pragmatic and it'sessential and critical for us to
ensure that our client basereflects the world that we are
in and the world that we aregoing to be in.
So I work for an insurancecompany.
(12:18):
And one thing that I love aboutthe company is they have an
amazing DEI incentive program.
And they have a lot of thesedifferent groups that, you know,
and one of them is called, Idon't know the full name, but
it's, it's like.
It's, it's like we have our ownlike black space, or is that
(12:41):
really the word?
African Americans in insurance,but they have all these
different inclusive programs inthe company.
So you can find a space thatfits for you, that you can be
involved in.
And even if you are a differentsex, so like there is a women's
group.
And I joined it because most ofyou know who listen to this
show, I'm a feminist.
(13:01):
And so I joined it and you canjoin all these other ones and
it's not because I want.
It's because I'm an ally and Isupport what they do, And that's
one thing I do love about thecompany is that it is very
inclusive.
With all diversities, all walksof life.
You know, you can, they havefundraisers, they have
charities.
You can do volunteer events foryour different organizations
(13:22):
that you may be involved in.
And the company will pay you todo those because you're being
involved in the community.
So I always thought that wasreally cool.
Anyways, let's get back to thearticle.
So there's always going to becritics of DEI, right?
You have that Tennessee lawmakerwhen then former Vice President
Kamala Harris was running forpresident.
He's like, oh, well Biden onlyhired her because she's a DEI
(13:43):
hire.
Not because she has beenAttorney General for California,
or it's not like she's had allthese prestigious jobs, and she
has the education behind it, andshe is also the sitting Vice
President.
She also ran for President onher own, but she's a DEI hire.
You see how they reduce peopleto nothing?
(14:09):
You could have all this stuff onyour resume, but there's still
critics of this is going to belike, you're still a DEI hire.
Not that I went to college.
I got my bachelor's degree.
I've traveled all over the worldwith these prestigious jobs,
I've done X, Y, and Z, but thenyet, these critters are gonna be
like, well, he's a DEI high.
(14:30):
As I've told a lot of my coloredbrothers and sisters and
everyone else who's not a whiteman, you are going to be born,
and especially to my AfricanAmerican community, you are born
two steps behind your whitecounterpart.
You're not born equal.
(14:50):
Far from it.
You are two steps behind.
Which means that every step thatthey take, you are going to be
two steps behind.
Which means that you have to gettwo steps ahead.
Can't be the same.
It's never going to work.
Can't be one step, not going towork.
Two, three steps ahead inwhatever you're doing just a
side note, I talked to my bestfriend and, you know, she's out
(15:11):
in the world dating, well, we'reboth dating, not each other,
just in the world and, you know,she was telling me about this
guy, and she's like, oh, well,he wants to do, he wants to do
this particular thing, and she'slike, well, is there anything
else you want to do, and theguy's like, no, I just want to
do this, and, you know, we'retalking about it, and I'm like,
(15:33):
Yeah, I don't think so.
It's like, you know, she's ahuge person on education and as
I was telling her, I was like,you can't, you can't just stop
at one thing, right?
That one thing isn't going toget you very far.
You live in a very, you live ina white America, essentially,
where you need to be two timesBetter than your counterpart,
(15:54):
but that was just a personalexample of what I was trying to
say.
The critics of DEI, this is whatthey have to say.
In recent years, DEI has becomea social and political lightning
rod for lawmakers, corporateleaders, and conservative
activists who have sought tocast such initiatives as unfair
(16:15):
and even racist with someemboldened by the Supreme Court
gutting affirmative care.
Certain people, which you knowwho they are, white men, feel as
though the initiative is unfairand even racist.
How is it unfair and how is itracist?
(16:35):
Explain that to me.
If you are watching this and youcan make comments, explain how
DEI is unfair and racist whenDEI incorporates everyone except
white men.
White men has always hadprivilege in this country.
So it baffles me when you saythat something's unfair, baffles
(16:59):
me.
It's, and let's be clear, DEIisn't, doesn't stop white people
from being hired.
That's, that's obviously not thecase.
It's to bridge that gap to getmore diversity into a company.
So you tell me, how does DEI.
Make it unfair for a white manor racist for a white man to get
(17:20):
a job when they can go work atany Fucking place they want in
the United States and would gethired with very little to no
qualifications Explain that tome.
Indeed, the ideology behind DEIis fundamentally anti American,
said Ryan P.
Williams, president of theClaremont Institute.
(17:42):
Conservative think tank.
The word that the acronym DEIrepresents sound nice, but it's
nothing more than affirmativeaction and racial preference by
a different name.
A system that features racialheadcount and arbitrary assigned
roles of oppressor or oppressedgroups in America, William said
in an email.
(18:02):
If we continue to do democracythis way, it will only end in
anarchy, strife, resentment, andAmerican collapse.
Some critics argue that DEIprograms on college campuses
have failed to protect Jewishstudents and faculty from anti
sentiment bullying andharassment.
A 2024 Stanford Universityreport highlighted a cause in
(18:25):
which Jewish staff reportedbeing pressured to join the DEI
program, WhitenessAccountability Affirmative
Group.
They allege that the programerased Jewish identity, the
report said.
There was no space for theseJewish employees to share their
lived experiences to raise theirconcern about anti semitism.,
Ackman, the billionaireinvestor, last year posted a 4,
(18:48):
000 word op on X, criticizingthe DEI as inherently a racist
and illegal movement and itsimplication, even if it prompts
work on behalf of its so calledoppressed.
Musk, the Trump confident andbillionaire Tesla later reposted
on X.
DEI is just another word forracism.
(19:08):
Shame on anyone who uses it,Musk wrote.
DEI, because it discriminates onthe basis of race, gender, and
many other factors, is notmerely immoral, it's illegal.
Tesla since then omitted alllanguage regarding minority
workers and outreach to minoritycommunities in Securities and
Exchange Commission.
(19:28):
That's what critics are saying.
It's racist.
DEI, which is for people who arenot a white male, is racist?
The Jewish one, I feel likethere's more research that needs
to be done into that.
I don't believe that.
That's not something that I'vebeen hearing.
I feel like Jewish studentswould be relatively safe in a
(19:50):
DEI place because they areJewish and because there are
people who hate the Jewishcommunity, which I don't know
why, but okay.
But I feel like they would besafe in a DEI place because we
are incorporating people ofdifferent religions, different
backgrounds, differentnationalities.
Right.
that's what DEI incorporates.
Not all businesses are backingaway.
Like Costco has seen a hugeinflux of a lot of people
(20:13):
backing Costco because they saidwe're not getting rid of DEI,
we're going to stand strongbehind it.
That's what we represent.
Apple is also on that market,too, of where they are defending
DEI, because they're like, we'renot backing down.
Mark Cuban, billionaire and,minority leader of the Dallas
Mavericks, pushed back on Musk'spost.
The loss of DEI phobic companiesis my game, Cuban wrote.
(20:36):
Having a workplace or workforcethat is diverse and
representative of mystakeholders is good for
business.
Companies turning backs onstrategies to promote diversity
will limit equal opportunitiesfor people who face
disadvantages because of theirskin color, the neighborhood
they grew up in, the quality ofschools they attended, and other
forces beyond their control.
Two black pioneer businessleaders, former Maverick CEO Ken
(21:00):
Frazier and former AmericanExpress CEO Ken Chesnut told
CNN.
At its best, DEI is aboutdeveloping talent.
Measuring it in a fair way andfinding hidden talent and
disadvantaged talent in theworld where not everybody has an
equal chance to exhibit theirabilities.
(21:21):
So, DEI is not an enemy, right?
DEI is incorporating people wholook different, who sound
different, who maybe, who are adifferent sexual orientation,
who come from differentreligious beliefs, who are a
different nationality, right?
Who come from differentbackgrounds, who don't look like
a white cis men, right?
(21:41):
That's what DEI is.
It's not about having DEI as anenemy.
It's about incorporating it,right?
Because that's what America is.
America is DEI.
And if you go back toeliminating DEI and be like,
Well, we're just going to do itoff merit.
Those marginalized communities,my community, We're not going to
(22:02):
have a fucking chance in a whitecorporate America.
Merit does not exist.
For marginalized communities,because you know why our merit
is never going to be good enoughto get those jobs that we want.
I have to be two times betterthan any white person if I want
a certain job.
(22:25):
Right?
So it's not like, oh, well I canget a bachelor's degree and be
done.
No, now I have to push for mymaster's or my PhD.
I have to keep pushing.
It's never going to be over.
Right?
We don't live We can't live in amerit base because it's never
going to work out.
And for those black republicansout there, Nigga, you wouldn't
(22:48):
have your job if you didn'tstart spewing the same bullshit
that they're talking about.
Because sooner or later they'regoing to turn on you and call
you a DEI hire too.
You should know.
You've seen the struggle of whatour marginalized communities go
through.
(23:08):
And that's just to get aninterview in the door.
We're at about 15 minutes.
I'm gonna let you listen torepresent Jasmine Crockett from
Texas as she explains herversion of DEI in a press, I
believe it was more of herswearing in.
(23:29):
So, take a listen.
Rep Jasmine C (23:30):
So I do want to be clear about diversity, equity
and inclusion, because I thinkthat that's really a good place
to start.
the diversity, equity andinclusion includes so much more
than that, right?
It includes making sure thatwe're looking at people that are
within the L.
G.
B.
T.
Q.
I.
A.
Community and making sure thatthey have protections.
It's looking at making sure thatthose that come from rural
America.
(23:51):
High protections is looking atwomen.
It's looking at our uniquelyabled citizens.
It is looking at basicallymaking sure that we are not just
old, straight white men.
That that's it.
And it's making sure thateveryone has an opportunity.
It's making sure that thosegovernmental agencies look like
who we are in this country.
And so I think that thatprobably has to be the most
(24:13):
urgent thing because I thinkthat it is all encompassing.
And it's looking at our civilrights.
As a whole.
In addition to the fact thatwhat we're experiencing is they
went after our education withthe affirmative action decision.
this all goes to economics rightat a time in which we still
can't get anyone to agree toraise the minimum wage, which
(24:35):
hasn't been raised in probablyclose to 20 years.
Now that we're going on, we seethat the billionaire class is
continuously overnight.
Just making more and more money.
I mean, the richest man in theworld literally made like
another 200 billion dollarslike, in the few days after the
election, right?
(24:56):
And so, what we've gotta do ismake sure that number one, we're
not allowing people to divide usbecause I will be honest, we
were divided in this electionabout trans folk.
That's just the reality.
The reality is that when westart to talk about trans folk,
trans folk make up probably lessthan 1%, not probably, they make
up less than 1 percent of who weare in this country.
(25:17):
But if you allow them to divideus over trans rights, then they
can divide us over immigration,which they did that as well.
It's the division that iskilling us, and the reality is
that it's not really aboutwhether or not you agree, like
it, love it, or understand it.
It's about understanding thatthis is supposed to be the land
of opportunity and the land ofthe free for all.
(25:38):
Let's stand with our LGBTQcommunity.
Let's stand with our immigrantcommunity.
Let's stand with black folk.
Let's stand with women.
Let's stand together becausethere's more of us than there
are of the select few that arepushing this white supremacy
agenda.
We cannot get caught up in it.
And when you look back at theplaybook of Hitler, it never was
(26:01):
just about black people.
It's the exact same people thatthey're pointing fingers at and
that they went after.
And so I am encouraging everyoneto stand together.
Microphone (Camo) & Camo-6 (26:10):
For a lot of people, there's
something that we kind of takeadvantage of.
if you're not into, history orU.
S.
government or the Constitution,maybe you didn't know about
this, but There is a such thingas birthright citizenship here
in the United States.
(26:30):
Now, birthright citizenship wasenshrined in the 14th Amendment,
and this was honestly for formerslaves, because back then, they
did not believe that slaves hadcitizenship, right?
So this is why that was created.
Now, Trump's version, eventhough I'm gonna Share a press
conference of what he said thefirst part of it is correct And
(26:55):
then he goes on to blabberingafterward, but the reason why
this is so Legality tested isbecause it would mean that
anyone who's born here in theUnited States would not
automatically get citizenshipunder certain Circumstances,
there's certain parameters thatthey would have to meet In order
(27:17):
not to be a citizen.
Now, obviously this wassomething that Trump signed on
day one of one of his executiveorders, They have to go through
Congress to get approved.
And with the legal, I would sayaura that's around it right now,
it's definitely not goinganywhere.
two federal judges have cost.
I've called it unconstitutional.
(27:40):
Let's get into it.
So birthright citizenship is theprinciple that someone born in
the country is a citizen of thatcountry.
In the United States, itenshrines the 14th Amendment in
the Constitution, which statesall persons born or naturalized
in the United States and subjectto the jurisdiction there,
(28:00):
thereof, are citizens of theUnited States and of the state
within they reside.
It was ratified in 1868.
To ensure that citizens offormer slaves in the Civil War.
Now, critics, so people who areagainst this, mainly Republicans
of all their wisdom, it's reallytargeting immigration.
(28:24):
So, they have urged that thisprovides an incentive for people
to come to or remain in the U.
S.
illegally.
They know that if they havechildren in the United States,
those children will becomecitizens who might later
petition.
For their parents to becomelegal permanent residents in an
effort to curb unlawfulimmigration, Trump issued an
(28:45):
executive order just after beingsworn in for his second term on
the past week, the order drewimmediate legal challenges
across the country with at leastfive lawsuits being brought by
22 other states and a number ofimmigrant right groups, a
lawsuit brought by Washington,Arizona and Oregon and Illinois.
(29:07):
Now, as I said, this is a wayfor them to try and curb
immigration.
And, let me tell ya, birthrightcitizenship isn't going to curb
any type of immigrationwhatsoever.
Like, it's not gonna have aneffect.
And this policy, if it ever gotpassed, he said it would start
in February.
That means everybody else isfine.
(29:28):
And this wouldn't really have aneffect.
Like, this isn't going to solveimmigration, or at least in my
view, it's not going to solveimmigration at all.
It's probably like a penny in anempty bucket.
Yippee, you're not rich offthat.
And it's not really going tohelp immigration whatsoever.
But anyways, so let's go intowhat are some of the legal
(29:48):
challenges.
The judge's ruling Thursday wasa temporary restraining order.
It blocks the administrationfrom enforcing or even
implementing Trump's ordernaturally for the next 14 days.
Now, obviously that 14 days hasexpired.
Over the next two weeks, thesides will submit further
briefing on the legal merits ofthe executive order.
They have scheduled anotherhearing in February, February
(30:10):
6th to hear arguments on whetherthe issue to issue a plenary
injunction, which would blockthe executive order longterm.
While the case does proceed.
In the meantime, some of theother cases challenging the
orders are also gettingunderway.
The next hearing is in a casebrought by Maryland by the CASA,
a non profit immigration rightsorganization based in Mid
(30:33):
Atlantic.
They're set to have a hearingFebruary 5th in the U.
S.
District Court in Greenbelt,Maryland.
Another lawsuit led by NewJersey on behalf of the 18
states, the District of Columbiaand San Francisco, and a
challenge brought inMassachusetts by the Brazilian
Workers Center.
Do not yet have hearingsscheduled.
(30:53):
Aside from arguing the executiveorder constitutionally, the
state say the order wouldsubject all the children
affected by it to deportationand make many of them stateless.
It would strip them of theirrights and render them unable to
participate in economic or civillife.
Contrary to what everyonebelieves, there's not enough
(31:14):
detail in his reasoning duringhis hearing about his assertion
that the order the judge saidit's blatantly unconstitutional
as well as point blankquestioning of the DOJ
attorneys, Britt Scharmont.
The states say that it is thatit's well settled.
14 Amendment guaranteesbirthright citizenship and that
the president lacks authority todetermine who should or should
(31:38):
not be granted U.
S.
citizenship.
the Department of Justice latersaid in a statement that it will
vigorously defend thePresident's executive order.
They said we look forward topresenting full merit argument
in the court and to the Americanpeople.
Who are desperate to see ournation's laws enforced.
That's birthright citizenship.
As I said, it's something thathas been enshrined for years and
(32:00):
years.
And it doesn't necessarily curbimmigration.
It may put a small dent, but asit said, it would make all the
children stateless.
Immigration has been an issue.
It has been an issue for manypresidents.
And it's, there's really noclear way of how to handle it.
And this administration believesthat it has what, they have the
(32:24):
answer to it.
And it's mass deportations, it'staking away birthright
citizenship.
It's about getting rid of DEI.
It's about getting rid ofeveryone, essentially.
And we have a war on our hands,so we gotta keep fighting.
when we come back, we're gonnafinish up with some final
thoughts.
And I'll see you guys in asecond.
Microphone (Camo) & Camo-7 (32:46):
So that concludes our episode for
today.
D.
E.
I.
is not an enemy.
Okay?
D.
E.
I.
is essentially for everyone whois not a white male here in
America.
D.
E.
I.
was that bridge for thoseMinority communities to finally
have a chance to get those jobsthat they want to see.
Finally have that voice at thetable.
(33:08):
Finally have an equal chance andan equal promotion, right, in a
white corporate America.
Those who are proponents of DEI,mainly, they're white.
Right?
Proponents of those DEIs don'tunderstand the struggle of a
minority in a white America,right?
(33:29):
And as I said, it's really aboutdiversity.
No matter where you are, youwant to have a diverse
workforce.
You want to have a diverseschool because people learn
differently.
You know, some students who arefrom minority communities could
learn better from having a blackteacher because that black
(33:49):
teacher is going to understandthe life that they're probably
living.
Or probably live having thatinclusion, making sure that
everybody's voice is welcomed atthat table and heard at that
table.
And as I said, if you are awhite woman, that includes you
too, all women.
But I particularly want to alsomake sure we mention white women
(34:12):
in there too, so y'all don'tthink that you're excluded from
this.
If we go based off of merit, wedon't have diversity.
If we go based off of merit,that merit bar will always be
put higher to make sure that ourminority communities are never
(34:33):
within reach of that job thatthey want.
Are never at that table to voicetheir ideas.
We can't go to a merit basedcountry.
It just does not work here inAmerica.
Something that I always say topeople is that America was
founded by immigrants.
(34:54):
Right?
We've all come from differentparts of the world, and some of
us came here by force.
DEI is a foundation piece of theUnited States.
That's what makes us one of thegreatest countries.
So I understand if maybe you'relistening to this and you're
(35:14):
like, well, you know, I'm justnot feeling it.
That's fine.
I'm not saying you have to loveit.
I'm not saying that you have tobe a cheerleader for it, but
understand the fundamentalsbehind it.
Understand that you may havethat black coworker that you
love and like they crack you up.
Understand that certain peoplewouldn't like to see that person
(35:37):
or that workspace held for thatschool, We all learn
differently.
We all want to make sure that weare represented at every table
that we sit at.
Your federal government shouldlook like America, but the way
that this administration is,it's not looking anything like
what America, and I want totouch on birthright citizenship.
(35:59):
It has been enshrined in the14th Amendment.
Birthright citizenship is agranted thing.
It's going to get challenged andit's not going to pass
whatsoever.
Oh.
They can say it's to curbimmigration.
(36:20):
Pay attention.
I want you to pay very closeattention to this new
administration.
Challenge things that need to bechallenged.
Be a voice for DEI, especiallyif you're in a workplace that
has a diversity.
Understand that we have to fightback.
(36:46):
This administration is going tothrow a lot of curveballs our
way, a lot of things that we'renot going to like and the only
way we can make sure we voicethose opinions is by you going
out there on social media,voicing those opinions and
sharing what's not right, makingsure you have a voice is my job.
(37:09):
So my call to action is for youto speak speak up, voice your
opinions.
And the last thing I wanna say,be open-minded.
We cannot change this world,this country, the state, our
local government officials,unless we are open-minded.
(37:31):
You have to be able to hear theother side and be able to
challenge it.
One thing that people know mefor when I'm in jobs is I
challenge things, especiallywhen it's full of bullshit.
So, I want you all to be safeout there.
Thank you for listening to thisshow.
Please make sure that you shareit on Instagram, YouTube,
(37:55):
Twitter, TikTok.
All of it.
Share it with your friends, yourfamily.
Have them understand the realmeaning behind DEI and ask them,
hey, is this something that youwould make sure that we are
always striving to make surethat we achieve?
We're gonna end with Trump'sannouncement or his press
(38:17):
conference into birthrightcitizenship, so take a listen.
Pres Trump (38:24):
It was really meant for children of slaves.
This is what had happened tochildren of slaves.
It was not meant for everyone tocome into our country by
airplane or charging across theborders from all over the world
and think they're going tobecome citizens.
Hey everyone, my name is Stephan,
and welcome to another episodeof The Last Conversation.
Today's episode, we are going totalk about DEI exclusively, but
as I said in a past episode, weare going to also talk a little
bit about birthrightcitizenship.
Let's get started.
Microphone (Camo) & Camo-2 (00:23):
So before we get started with our
show today, I do want to take amoment of silence for the
American Eagle Flight 5342.
Because we did lose 63 people.
So we're gonna take a moment ofsilence for them.
Okay, so we're not going to getinto that story because it's not
(00:44):
on the docket, but I wanted tomention that because if you saw
the president's remarks on it,he goes to doing a blame game.
And let me just hop on my littlespiel and I will get right off
of it and then we will startwith the real show.
As the President of the UnitedStates, we are looking for you
(01:06):
to comfort the country and tellus that flying is still safe,
this was just a very freakaccident and that you're praying
for the families that have lostloved ones on that flight, and
showing sympathy and saying thatyou're going to visit, the crash
site and you're going to callthe victims families.
(01:27):
That is what I'm expecting for apresident to do, but
unfortunately, we don't havethat type of president.
We have a president who wouldrather play the blame game and
be like, Oh, well, it'sDemocrats fault.
It's DEI's fault because theyhire incompetent traffic
controllers and like, why areyou doing this?
So I'm expecting a president whowould rather play the blame game
and be like, Oh, well, it'sDEI's fault because they hire
incompetent traffic controllersand The thought behind that is
(01:49):
so degrading because you are,you're just trying to create an
enemy, right?
It's a freak accident.
It's not about playing the blamegame.
It's about trying to find outwhat are the answers, what
happened, how can we make surethis does not happen again,
(02:09):
right?
And to say, oh, well, thetraffic controller was a DEI
hire.
It's like, what does that haveto do with how this accident
happened?
And then he goes on to say inthe press conference, if you
look it up on TikTok, he saysthat the DEI hire was
unqualified for that position.
(02:30):
And let me tell you, the FAAcame out, did a press
conference, and said howextensively the training is.
One, you can't be older than 32years old.
You, it's like four years oftraffic controller school.
So these, you can't get pastthat.
Most people can barely get pastcertain things.
(02:51):
So if you're in four years oftraffic controller school,
you're not unqualified.
You're qualified.
You passed all the tests, right?
And so my take on that was thatyou are just a useless, pathetic
excuse for a person for you tosit here and try and play the
blame game and especially blameD.
E.
I.
(03:12):
Which seems to be the commonenemy in the Republican Party.
So if anyone is not a white man,you are a DEI hire, and this
administration does not likeyou, right?
They say, oh, well, we're herefor merit.
Merit does not exist in a whiteAmerica, right?
White corporate America.
(03:32):
It just doesn't exist.
So, let me get off my soapbox.
We'll be right back so we cantalk about DEI.
Microphone (Camo) & Camo-4 (03:38):
Now, before we start talking about
DEI, I want to ask you, thepeople who are listening to this
podcast, a question.
Do you believe that DEI isnecessary in this country?
that is my question for you.
Do you believe it belongs in theworkplace?
(03:58):
Do you believe it belongs inschools?
do you believe it, right?
Do you believe the reason of whyit was created?
Do you feel as though if youtook this out, And just replace
it with merit.
Do you think those marginalizedcommunities would still have an
equal opportunity at gettingthose prestigious jobs?
(04:19):
That's the question that I posefor you.
Now experts on DEI have sharedwhat their version of what DEI
stands for.
So let's get into it.
The first one is diversity.
It is embracing the differenceseveryone brings to the table,
whether those are someone'srace, age, ethnicity, religion,
(04:40):
gender, sexual orientation,physical ability, or other
aspects of social identity, Thenwe move on to E, which is, you
can either use equity orequality, whichever one.
Is treating everyone fairly andproviding equal opportunity.
And then you also haveinclusion.
It's respecting everyone'svoice, creating a culture in
(05:01):
which people from allbackgrounds feel encouraged to
express their ideas andperspectives.
DEI was created becausemarginalized communities have
not always had equalopportunities for jobs or felt a
sense of belonging in majoritywhite corporate settings, said
Daniel Ugg founder of theCourage Collective.
He goes on to say that this isthe geniuses of why some of
(05:24):
these programs exist, he said.
It was an attempt to try tocreate workplaces where more or
all people can thrive, right?
So when we look at DEI and whatI like to tell people is that
DEI is everyone except whitemen.
(05:47):
And even if, and there are somepeople out there who are white
women, you are a DEI becauselet's remember probably almost
60, 70 years ago, you barely hadthe right to vote.
You were put into boxes of whereyou could work.
Or vote, right?
Everything was through yourhusband.
(06:08):
If you didn't have a husband,you couldn't do absolutely
nothing, right?
So when you hear people talkabout DEI, that is everyone who
is not a white male, that isessentially giving you a voice
at that table as essentiallygetting you that interview at
that corporate prestigious jobthat maybe.
(06:30):
You weren't going to get, right?
DEI, in my view, is a bridge.
It is that way to get people whoare not white men, into those
places, right?
And something that I, when youtalk about companies that are
backing away from DEI, I look atit as, your customers aren't
(06:53):
just white men, right?
You have a variety of differentraces and religions that Buy
stuff from your store.
Hell, McDonald's has made mostof America fat anyway So I don't
understand why they would bepulling out of DEI.
You have Target And all theseother companies that are backing
(07:14):
away or changing theirInitiative on DEI and it's like
well, I want representation inmy company because I have
customers all different who buymy product.
But Republicans has made it aenemy.
They have made it enemy numberone, right next to transgender
people, right?
Because they feel as though ifyou are a DEI hire, you're not
(07:38):
qualified for the job.
And that is completely bullshit,because let me tell you, someone
who has a different skin colorcould have even more
qualifications than their whitecounterpart.
And the only reason why theyprobably won't get that
interview is because they lookedat the application and said, oh,
well, they're black.
Who knows if all thesequalifications are real?
Maybe they made them up.
(08:01):
Right?
So that's the issue that we'refighting with.
DEI is not an enemy.
DEI is a bridge to get us intothose places.
that goes for government aswell.
That goes for just almostanything.
The origins of DEI program dateback to the Civil Rights
Movement, which played a pivotalrole in accelerating efforts to
(08:23):
create more diverse andinclusion workplaces said
Dominique Hollins, founder ofDEI Consulting Firm.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964outlawed employment
discrimination based on race,gender, sex, color, and national
origins.
It also banned segregation inpublic spaces, like public
(08:43):
schools and libraries.
Title IX of the Civil Rights Actestablished the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission, or theEEOC, which works to eliminate
employment discrimination.
In the 1960s and 70s, employeesbegan filing discrimination
lawsuits with the EEOC.
And many companies startedincorporating diversity into
(09:06):
their business strategies byproviding diversity training,
according to a 2008 reportpublished by the Academy of
Management, Learning andEducation.
These diversity training effortsemerged around the time
affirmative action began byexecutive order of then
President John F.
Kennedy.
Although the concept may seemsimilar, Affirmative Action is
(09:28):
different from DEI as it isrequired federal contractors by
executive orders to treatapplicants and employees with
equal based on race, color,religion, and sex.
Colleges and universities alsoused Affirmative Action to boost
enrollment of students of colorat majority white schools, but
the Supreme Court in 2003 guttedthe Affirmative Action ruling
(09:50):
that race conscious collegeadministrations was
unconstitutional.
Some diversity efforts lostmomentum after GOP President
Ronald Reagan in the 1980sbacked corporate deregulation
policies asserting companiesshould address discrimination
internally.
In the coming decades, manycompanies kept pushing for DEI
(10:12):
focused jobs and training in thepiecemeal fashion rather than
creating ongoing programs anddedicated teams.
So, when you look at it, DEIreally started back during the
Civil Rights era, right?
It was to bridge that gap, tomake sure that there was
(10:34):
diversity in the workplace.
Remember, back in segregation,there were separate water
fountains that weren't cleaned.
There were bathrooms thatweren't cleaned.
White people thought that.
People of color were disgusting,or we had germs and all this
other stuff, and you can go lookat it, we're not doing a history
lesson here right now, butthat's when it started, to
(10:56):
bridge that gap, to get peopleof a different race section, all
that, into the workplace, intoschools, right?
As I said, it's in schools, it'sin the workplaces, just in
public, right?
And I remember I watched aninterview,
Microphone (Camo) & Camo- (11:14):
Let's see how DEI looked in the
workplace, in 2023, 61 percentof U.
S.
adults said their workplace hadpolicies focusing on fairness in
hiring, promotions, and pay.
Thrivant, for example, hasresource groups for women in
leadership, young professional,black employees, Hispanic and
military veterans, among others.
(11:35):
Baker told CNN in a previousinterview, it's D.
I.
Training teach employees how tounderstand and bridge cultural
differences in the workplace,she said, adding tried and also
seeks job candidates withdiversity in the race.
Geography, gender, industrybackground.
(11:56):
Many corporations tie DEI totheir business strategies.
Diversity is related to ourbusiness growth Baker said.
It's pragmatic and it'sessential and critical for us to
ensure that our client basereflects the world that we are
in and the world that we aregoing to be in.
So I work for an insurancecompany.
(12:18):
And one thing that I love aboutthe company is they have an
amazing DEI incentive program.
And they have a lot of thesedifferent groups that, you know,
and one of them is called, Idon't know the full name, but
it's, it's like.
It's, it's like we have our ownlike black space, or is that
(12:41):
really the word?
African Americans in insurance,but they have all these
different inclusive programs inthe company.
So you can find a space thatfits for you, that you can be
involved in.
And even if you are a differentsex, so like there is a women's
group.
And I joined it because most ofyou know who listen to this
show, I'm a feminist.
(13:01):
And so I joined it and you canjoin all these other ones and
it's not because I want.
It's because I'm an ally and Isupport what they do, And that's
one thing I do love about thecompany is that it is very
inclusive.
With all diversities, all walksof life.
You know, you can, they havefundraisers, they have
charities.
You can do volunteer events foryour different organizations
(13:22):
that you may be involved in.
And the company will pay you todo those because you're being
involved in the community.
So I always thought that wasreally cool.
Anyways, let's get back to thearticle.
So there's always going to becritics of DEI, right?
You have that Tennessee lawmakerwhen then former Vice President
Kamala Harris was running forpresident.
He's like, oh, well Biden onlyhired her because she's a DEI
(13:43):
hire.
Not because she has beenAttorney General for California,
or it's not like she's had allthese prestigious jobs, and she
has the education behind it, andshe is also the sitting Vice
President.
She also ran for President onher own, but she's a DEI hire.
You see how they reduce peopleto nothing?
(14:09):
You could have all this stuff onyour resume, but there's still
critics of this is going to belike, you're still a DEI hire.
Not that I went to college.
I got my bachelor's degree.
I've traveled all over the worldwith these prestigious jobs,
I've done X, Y, and Z, but thenyet, these critters are gonna be
like, well, he's a DEI high.
(14:30):
As I've told a lot of my coloredbrothers and sisters and
everyone else who's not a whiteman, you are going to be born,
and especially to my AfricanAmerican community, you are born
two steps behind your whitecounterpart.
You're not born equal.
(14:50):
Far from it.
You are two steps behind.
Which means that every step thatthey take, you are going to be
two steps behind.
Which means that you have to gettwo steps ahead.
Can't be the same.
It's never going to work.
Can't be one step, not going towork.
Two, three steps ahead inwhatever you're doing just a
side note, I talked to my bestfriend and, you know, she's out
(15:11):
in the world dating, well, we'reboth dating, not each other,
just in the world and, you know,she was telling me about this
guy, and she's like, oh, well,he wants to do, he wants to do
this particular thing, and she'slike, well, is there anything
else you want to do, and theguy's like, no, I just want to
do this, and, you know, we'retalking about it, and I'm like,
(15:33):
Yeah, I don't think so.
It's like, you know, she's ahuge person on education and as
I was telling her, I was like,you can't, you can't just stop
at one thing, right?
That one thing isn't going toget you very far.
You live in a very, you live ina white America, essentially,
where you need to be two timesBetter than your counterpart,
(15:54):
but that was just a personalexample of what I was trying to
say.
The critics of DEI, this is whatthey have to say.
In recent years, DEI has becomea social and political lightning
rod for lawmakers, corporateleaders, and conservative
activists who have sought tocast such initiatives as unfair
(16:15):
and even racist with someemboldened by the Supreme Court
gutting affirmative care.
Certain people, which you knowwho they are, white men, feel as
though the initiative is unfairand even racist.
How is it unfair and how is itracist?
(16:35):
Explain that to me.
If you are watching this and youcan make comments, explain how
DEI is unfair and racist whenDEI incorporates everyone except
white men.
White men has always hadprivilege in this country.
So it baffles me when you saythat something's unfair, baffles
(16:59):
me.
It's, and let's be clear, DEIisn't, doesn't stop white people
from being hired.
That's, that's obviously not thecase.
It's to bridge that gap to getmore diversity into a company.
So you tell me, how does DEI.
Make it unfair for a white manor racist for a white man to get
(17:20):
a job when they can go work atany Fucking place they want in
the United States and would gethired with very little to no
qualifications Explain that tome.
Indeed, the ideology behind DEIis fundamentally anti American,
said Ryan P.
Williams, president of theClaremont Institute.
(17:42):
Conservative think tank.
The word that the acronym DEIrepresents sound nice, but it's
nothing more than affirmativeaction and racial preference by
a different name.
A system that features racialheadcount and arbitrary assigned
roles of oppressor or oppressedgroups in America, William said
in an email.
(18:02):
If we continue to do democracythis way, it will only end in
anarchy, strife, resentment, andAmerican collapse.
Some critics argue that DEIprograms on college campuses
have failed to protect Jewishstudents and faculty from anti
sentiment bullying andharassment.
A 2024 Stanford Universityreport highlighted a cause in
(18:25):
which Jewish staff reportedbeing pressured to join the DEI
program, WhitenessAccountability Affirmative
Group.
They allege that the programerased Jewish identity, the
report said.
There was no space for theseJewish employees to share their
lived experiences to raise theirconcern about anti semitism.,
Ackman, the billionaireinvestor, last year posted a 4,
(18:48):
000 word op on X, criticizingthe DEI as inherently a racist
and illegal movement and itsimplication, even if it prompts
work on behalf of its so calledoppressed.
Musk, the Trump confident andbillionaire Tesla later reposted
on X.
DEI is just another word forracism.
(19:08):
Shame on anyone who uses it,Musk wrote.
DEI, because it discriminates onthe basis of race, gender, and
many other factors, is notmerely immoral, it's illegal.
Tesla since then omitted alllanguage regarding minority
workers and outreach to minoritycommunities in Securities and
Exchange Commission.
(19:28):
That's what critics are saying.
It's racist.
DEI, which is for people who arenot a white male, is racist?
The Jewish one, I feel likethere's more research that needs
to be done into that.
I don't believe that.
That's not something that I'vebeen hearing.
I feel like Jewish studentswould be relatively safe in a
(19:50):
DEI place because they areJewish and because there are
people who hate the Jewishcommunity, which I don't know
why, but okay.
But I feel like they would besafe in a DEI place because we
are incorporating people ofdifferent religions, different
backgrounds, differentnationalities.
Right.
that's what DEI incorporates.
Not all businesses are backingaway.
Like Costco has seen a hugeinflux of a lot of people
(20:13):
backing Costco because they saidwe're not getting rid of DEI,
we're going to stand strongbehind it.
That's what we represent.
Apple is also on that market,too, of where they are defending
DEI, because they're like, we'renot backing down.
Mark Cuban, billionaire and,minority leader of the Dallas
Mavericks, pushed back on Musk'spost.
The loss of DEI phobic companiesis my game, Cuban wrote.
(20:36):
Having a workplace or workforcethat is diverse and
representative of mystakeholders is good for
business.
Companies turning backs onstrategies to promote diversity
will limit equal opportunitiesfor people who face
disadvantages because of theirskin color, the neighborhood
they grew up in, the quality ofschools they attended, and other
forces beyond their control.
Two black pioneer businessleaders, former Maverick CEO Ken
(21:00):
Frazier and former AmericanExpress CEO Ken Chesnut told
CNN.
At its best, DEI is aboutdeveloping talent.
Measuring it in a fair way andfinding hidden talent and
disadvantaged talent in theworld where not everybody has an
equal chance to exhibit theirabilities.
(21:21):
So, DEI is not an enemy, right?
DEI is incorporating people wholook different, who sound
different, who maybe, who are adifferent sexual orientation,
who come from differentreligious beliefs, who are a
different nationality, right?
Who come from differentbackgrounds, who don't look like
a white cis men, right?
(21:41):
That's what DEI is.
It's not about having DEI as anenemy.
It's about incorporating it,right?
Because that's what America is.
America is DEI.
And if you go back toeliminating DEI and be like,
Well, we're just going to do itoff merit.
Those marginalized communities,my community, We're not going to
(22:02):
have a fucking chance in a whitecorporate America.
Merit does not exist.
For marginalized communities,because you know why our merit
is never going to be good enoughto get those jobs that we want.
I have to be two times betterthan any white person if I want
a certain job.
(22:25):
Right?
So it's not like, oh, well I canget a bachelor's degree and be
done.
No, now I have to push for mymaster's or my PhD.
I have to keep pushing.
It's never going to be over.
Right?
We don't live We can't live in amerit base because it's never
going to work out.
And for those black republicansout there, Nigga, you wouldn't
(22:48):
have your job if you didn'tstart spewing the same bullshit
that they're talking about.
Because sooner or later they'regoing to turn on you and call
you a DEI hire too.
You should know.
You've seen the struggle of whatour marginalized communities go
through.
(23:08):
And that's just to get aninterview in the door.
We're at about 15 minutes.
I'm gonna let you listen torepresent Jasmine Crockett from
Texas as she explains herversion of DEI in a press, I
believe it was more of herswearing in.
(23:29):
So, take a listen.
Rep Jasmine C (23:30):
So I do want to be clear about diversity, equity
and inclusion, because I thinkthat that's really a good place
to start.
the diversity, equity andinclusion includes so much more
than that, right?
It includes making sure thatwe're looking at people that are
within the L.
G.
B.
T.
Q.
I.
A.
Community and making sure thatthey have protections.
It's looking at making sure thatthose that come from rural
America.
(23:51):
High protections is looking atwomen.
It's looking at our uniquelyabled citizens.
It is looking at basicallymaking sure that we are not just
old, straight white men.
That that's it.
And it's making sure thateveryone has an opportunity.
It's making sure that thosegovernmental agencies look like
who we are in this country.
And so I think that thatprobably has to be the most
(24:13):
urgent thing because I thinkthat it is all encompassing.
And it's looking at our civilrights.
As a whole.
In addition to the fact thatwhat we're experiencing is they
went after our education withthe affirmative action decision.
this all goes to economics rightat a time in which we still
can't get anyone to agree toraise the minimum wage, which
(24:35):
hasn't been raised in probablyclose to 20 years.
Now that we're going on, we seethat the billionaire class is
continuously overnight.
Just making more and more money.
I mean, the richest man in theworld literally made like
another 200 billion dollarslike, in the few days after the
election, right?
(24:56):
And so, what we've gotta do ismake sure that number one, we're
not allowing people to divide usbecause I will be honest, we
were divided in this electionabout trans folk.
That's just the reality.
The reality is that when westart to talk about trans folk,
trans folk make up probably lessthan 1%, not probably, they make
up less than 1 percent of who weare in this country.
(25:17):
But if you allow them to divideus over trans rights, then they
can divide us over immigration,which they did that as well.
It's the division that iskilling us, and the reality is
that it's not really aboutwhether or not you agree, like
it, love it, or understand it.
It's about understanding thatthis is supposed to be the land
of opportunity and the land ofthe free for all.
(25:38):
Let's stand with our LGBTQcommunity.
Let's stand with our immigrantcommunity.
Let's stand with black folk.
Let's stand with women.
Let's stand together becausethere's more of us than there
are of the select few that arepushing this white supremacy
agenda.
We cannot get caught up in it.
And when you look back at theplaybook of Hitler, it never was
(26:01):
just about black people.
It's the exact same people thatthey're pointing fingers at and
that they went after.
And so I am encouraging everyoneto stand together.
Microphone (Camo) & Camo-6 (26:10):
For a lot of people, there's
something that we kind of takeadvantage of.
if you're not into, history orU.
S.
government or the Constitution,maybe you didn't know about
this, but There is a such thingas birthright citizenship here
in the United States.
(26:30):
Now, birthright citizenship wasenshrined in the 14th Amendment,
and this was honestly for formerslaves, because back then, they
did not believe that slaves hadcitizenship, right?
So this is why that was created.
Now, Trump's version, eventhough I'm gonna Share a press
conference of what he said thefirst part of it is correct And
(26:55):
then he goes on to blabberingafterward, but the reason why
this is so Legality tested isbecause it would mean that
anyone who's born here in theUnited States would not
automatically get citizenshipunder certain Circumstances,
there's certain parameters thatthey would have to meet In order
(27:17):
not to be a citizen.
Now, obviously this wassomething that Trump signed on
day one of one of his executiveorders, They have to go through
Congress to get approved.
And with the legal, I would sayaura that's around it right now,
it's definitely not goinganywhere.
two federal judges have cost.
I've called it unconstitutional.
(27:40):
Let's get into it.
So birthright citizenship is theprinciple that someone born in
the country is a citizen of thatcountry.
In the United States, itenshrines the 14th Amendment in
the Constitution, which statesall persons born or naturalized
in the United States and subjectto the jurisdiction there,
(28:00):
thereof, are citizens of theUnited States and of the state
within they reside.
It was ratified in 1868.
To ensure that citizens offormer slaves in the Civil War.
Now, critics, so people who areagainst this, mainly Republicans
of all their wisdom, it's reallytargeting immigration.
(28:24):
So, they have urged that thisprovides an incentive for people
to come to or remain in the U.
S.
illegally.
They know that if they havechildren in the United States,
those children will becomecitizens who might later
petition.
For their parents to becomelegal permanent residents in an
effort to curb unlawfulimmigration, Trump issued an
(28:45):
executive order just after beingsworn in for his second term on
the past week, the order drewimmediate legal challenges
across the country with at leastfive lawsuits being brought by
22 other states and a number ofimmigrant right groups, a
lawsuit brought by Washington,Arizona and Oregon and Illinois.
(29:07):
Now, as I said, this is a wayfor them to try and curb
immigration.
And, let me tell ya, birthrightcitizenship isn't going to curb
any type of immigrationwhatsoever.
Like, it's not gonna have aneffect.
And this policy, if it ever gotpassed, he said it would start
in February.
That means everybody else isfine.
(29:28):
And this wouldn't really have aneffect.
Like, this isn't going to solveimmigration, or at least in my
view, it's not going to solveimmigration at all.
It's probably like a penny in anempty bucket.
Yippee, you're not rich offthat.
And it's not really going tohelp immigration whatsoever.
But anyways, so let's go intowhat are some of the legal
(29:48):
challenges.
The judge's ruling Thursday wasa temporary restraining order.
It blocks the administrationfrom enforcing or even
implementing Trump's ordernaturally for the next 14 days.
Now, obviously that 14 days hasexpired.
Over the next two weeks, thesides will submit further
briefing on the legal merits ofthe executive order.
They have scheduled anotherhearing in February, February
(30:10):
6th to hear arguments on whetherthe issue to issue a plenary
injunction, which would blockthe executive order longterm.
While the case does proceed.
In the meantime, some of theother cases challenging the
orders are also gettingunderway.
The next hearing is in a casebrought by Maryland by the CASA,
a non profit immigration rightsorganization based in Mid
(30:33):
Atlantic.
They're set to have a hearingFebruary 5th in the U.
S.
District Court in Greenbelt,Maryland.
Another lawsuit led by NewJersey on behalf of the 18
states, the District of Columbiaand San Francisco, and a
challenge brought inMassachusetts by the Brazilian
Workers Center.
Do not yet have hearingsscheduled.
(30:53):
Aside from arguing the executiveorder constitutionally, the
state say the order wouldsubject all the children
affected by it to deportationand make many of them stateless.
It would strip them of theirrights and render them unable to
participate in economic or civillife.
Contrary to what everyonebelieves, there's not enough
(31:14):
detail in his reasoning duringhis hearing about his assertion
that the order the judge saidit's blatantly unconstitutional
as well as point blankquestioning of the DOJ
attorneys, Britt Scharmont.
The states say that it is thatit's well settled.
14 Amendment guaranteesbirthright citizenship and that
the president lacks authority todetermine who should or should
(31:38):
not be granted U.
S.
citizenship.
the Department of Justice latersaid in a statement that it will
vigorously defend thePresident's executive order.
They said we look forward topresenting full merit argument
in the court and to the Americanpeople.
Who are desperate to see ournation's laws enforced.
That's birthright citizenship.
As I said, it's something thathas been enshrined for years and
(32:00):
years.
And it doesn't necessarily curbimmigration.
It may put a small dent, but asit said, it would make all the
children stateless.
Immigration has been an issue.
It has been an issue for manypresidents.
And it's, there's really noclear way of how to handle it.
And this administration believesthat it has what, they have the
(32:24):
answer to it.
And it's mass deportations, it'staking away birthright
citizenship.
It's about getting rid of DEI.
It's about getting rid ofeveryone, essentially.
And we have a war on our hands,so we gotta keep fighting.
when we come back, we're gonnafinish up with some final
thoughts.
And I'll see you guys in asecond.
Microphone (Camo) & Camo-7 (32:46):
So that concludes our episode for
today.
D.
E.
I.
is not an enemy.
Okay?
D.
E.
I.
is essentially for everyone whois not a white male here in
America.
D.
E.
I.
was that bridge for thoseMinority communities to finally
have a chance to get those jobsthat they want to see.
Finally have that voice at thetable.
(33:08):
Finally have an equal chance andan equal promotion, right, in a
white corporate America.
Those who are proponents of DEI,mainly, they're white.
Right?
Proponents of those DEIs don'tunderstand the struggle of a
minority in a white America,right?
(33:29):
And as I said, it's really aboutdiversity.
No matter where you are, youwant to have a diverse
workforce.
You want to have a diverseschool because people learn
differently.
You know, some students who arefrom minority communities could
learn better from having a blackteacher because that black
(33:49):
teacher is going to understandthe life that they're probably
living.
Or probably live having thatinclusion, making sure that
everybody's voice is welcomed atthat table and heard at that
table.
And as I said, if you are awhite woman, that includes you
too, all women.
But I particularly want to alsomake sure we mention white women
(34:12):
in there too, so y'all don'tthink that you're excluded from
this.
If we go based off of merit, wedon't have diversity.
If we go based off of merit,that merit bar will always be
put higher to make sure that ourminority communities are never
(34:33):
within reach of that job thatthey want.
Are never at that table to voicetheir ideas.
We can't go to a merit basedcountry.
It just does not work here inAmerica.
Something that I always say topeople is that America was
founded by immigrants.
(34:54):
Right?
We've all come from differentparts of the world, and some of
us came here by force.
DEI is a foundation piece of theUnited States.
That's what makes us one of thegreatest countries.
So I understand if maybe you'relistening to this and you're
(35:14):
like, well, you know, I'm justnot feeling it.
That's fine.
I'm not saying you have to loveit.
I'm not saying that you have tobe a cheerleader for it, but
understand the fundamentalsbehind it.
Understand that you may havethat black coworker that you
love and like they crack you up.
Understand that certain peoplewouldn't like to see that person
(35:37):
or that workspace held for thatschool, We all learn
differently.
We all want to make sure that weare represented at every table
that we sit at.
Your federal government shouldlook like America, but the way
that this administration is,it's not looking anything like
what America, and I want totouch on birthright citizenship.
(35:59):
It has been enshrined in the14th Amendment.
Birthright citizenship is agranted thing.
It's going to get challenged andit's not going to pass
whatsoever.
Oh.
They can say it's to curbimmigration.
(36:20):
Pay attention.
I want you to pay very closeattention to this new
administration.
Challenge things that need to bechallenged.
Be a voice for DEI, especiallyif you're in a workplace that
has a diversity.
Understand that we have to fightback.
(36:46):
This administration is going tothrow a lot of curveballs our
way, a lot of things that we'renot going to like and the only
way we can make sure we voicethose opinions is by you going
out there on social media,voicing those opinions and
sharing what's not right, makingsure you have a voice is my job.
(37:09):
So my call to action is for youto speak speak up, voice your
opinions.
And the last thing I wanna say,be open-minded.
We cannot change this world,this country, the state, our
local government officials,unless we are open-minded.
(37:31):
You have to be able to hear theother side and be able to
challenge it.
One thing that people know mefor when I'm in jobs is I
challenge things, especiallywhen it's full of bullshit.
So, I want you all to be safeout there.
Thank you for listening to thisshow.
Please make sure that you shareit on Instagram, YouTube,
(37:55):
Twitter, TikTok.
All of it.
Share it with your friends, yourfamily.
Have them understand the realmeaning behind DEI and ask them,
hey, is this something that youwould make sure that we are
always striving to make surethat we achieve?
We're gonna end with Trump'sannouncement or his press
(38:17):
conference into birthrightcitizenship, so take a listen.
Pres Trump (38:24):
It was really meant for children of slaves.
This is what had happened tochildren of slaves.
It was not meant for everyone tocome into our country by
airplane or charging across theborders from all over the world
and think they're going tobecome citizens.
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