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  You read right :  A Florida A&M University College of Law student said she was told to strip the word “Black” from promotional materials for a Black History Month event — a move she called censorship at a Historically Black College and University. Aaliyah Steward, a final-year law student who helps run the Black Law Students Association, told ClickOrlando that during the office approval process, campus staff flagged language including “Black,” “affirmative action,” and “women,” forcing organizers to abbreviate or rework copy. “We couldn’t use the word ‘Black’ in Black History Month. We would have to abbreviate it,” Steward said, calling the direction “insane” given FAMU’s HBCU status.  FAMU is pushing back on earlier reports that promotional materials for a College of Law Black History Month event were censored — saying the controversy stems from a staff-level mistake that has been corrected. In a statement sent to BET, FAMU President Marva B. Johnson, J.D., affirme...

 "The ease with which corporations shredded their DEI policies is why it’s important to note the fundamental differences between fighting to be included and fighting for autonomy and self-determination. Diversifying oppressive structures and seeking equity within corporatocracy is as limited as trying to do the same within representative governance. Before you demand a seat at the table, you should first ask if it’s a table worth being at in the first place . Let’s not pull up chairs at dinner parties that need to be destroyed . Unfortunately, that’s the standard response for a public hypnotized into thinking they have a collective stake in capitalism."   -- William C. Anderson, from his opinion article  Another Way Out: DEI and the Limits of Multicultural Consumerism . 

 

 

  Not who you think : Every year companies in the US spend around $8 billion on DEI efforts, according to research by the consulting firm McKinsey. With all the financial investment, time and attention put into advancing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in corporations, it is crucial to understand who benefits from these efforts. In 2019 a report entitled Being Black in Corporate America, released by global nonprofit, think tank, and advisory Coqual, found that Black professionals are more likely to encounter prejudice and microaggressions than other ethnic groups. They are also less likely than their white counterparts to have access to senior leaders and managerial support. The report lays out employees' everyday experiences of systemic racism in workplaces and the consequences it creates for those trying to advance to senior leadership positions. For example, Black professionals are nearly four times as likely as white professionals to say they've experienced racial pre...