Baltimore Bridge Collapse Blamed On DEI As The Attack On DEI Continues

Around 1:30 am on Tuesday, March 26^th, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland collapsed after a cargo ship collided into the bridge. The bridge collapse was caught on video, where viewers could see a total blackout on the ship. Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a State of Emergency following the collapse. Details about what caused the collision are still being pieced together. Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott spoke with the press about what an “unthinkable and unspeakable tragedy” the incident was.

Amidst the horrific news of the bridge collapse, some chose to focus on Mayor Scott’s age and race and proceeded to blame DEI for the bridge collapse. Utah state Rep. Phil Lyman along with Florida congressional candidate Anthony Sabatini were among those blaming the incident on DEI. One X user tweeted that Mayor Scott was “Baltimore’s DEI mayor,” with that tweet garnering nearly 6,000 reposts at the time of this article, while another user tweeted that the mayor “looks like a teen.” The creator behind the Darkest Hue, a platform created as a safe space for dark-skinned Black girls, women, and femmes wrote in an Instagram post “It is becoming increasingly clear that DEI is being used as a dog whistle for Black people, as if to substitute racial slurs.”

DEI is a term that has become increasingly more polarizing. An acronym created to highlight the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion has been warped and distorted by DEI critics. The same way that terms like woke and critical race theory (CRT) have been hijacked, morphed, and mutilated, the term DEI is experiencing a similar fate. There is an increasing phenomenon where individuals who have very little understanding of DEI are critiquing its utility and effectiveness.

Those who understand the value of DEI and recognize how it can be a tool to fight against oppression and injustice can counteract the anti-DEI sentiment in a few ways.

1. Numbers don’t lie. One popular DEI myth is that it promotes the hiring of unqualified non-white job candidates. But what does the data say? Looking specifically at different industries will reveal prevalent racial disparities. If DEI was increasing the representation of non-white candidates, this would be reflected in the numbers but many industries, like the media and artificial intelligence, remain overwhelmingly white. The data will expose the anti-DEI myths for what they are, so those fighting DEI propaganda should lean on the data to combat DEI misinformation.

2. Highlight DEI progress thus far. Many people may think DEI is a failure because the changes aren’t always monumental or tangible. It’s important to highlight progress, no matter how small, whether it’s the creation of company practices or equity-driven government policies. In the U.S., incremental progress can be seen as the different policies that have been created to drive more equity including maternal health interventions aimed at improving maternal health outcomes and apprenticeships designed to train and employ truck drivers from underrepresented communities. Within some organizations, the murder of George Floyd spearheaded the creation of DEI councils and committees as well as employee resource groups; these groups can be used as a catalyst for positive workplace culture shifts.

3. Find your community. Despite the virality and reach of many anti-DEI voices, there is a large community of individuals determined to see a world that prioritizes DEI and justice. Those who are proponents of DEI cannot be deterred by the detractors. Much to the chagrin of DEI critics, there are still many organizations and institutions willing to invest in and prioritize DEI. Finding ways to be in community with DEI advocates can reinvigorate those who are passionate about DEI work but who may have lost hope or are losing hope due to the growing anti-DEI noise. It is important to remember the words of famed writer and activist Audre Lorde who wrote “without community there is no liberation, only the most vulnerable and temporary armistice between an individual and her oppression.”