‘We need to fight’: Spokane NAACP, prominent Spokane figures respond to Trump’s DEI attacks

Advocates at a Thursday NAACP brainstorming session on combating attacks against the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion urged people not to be complacent as national efforts and rhetoric escalates.

“We’re under attack,” Spokane NAACP President Lisa Gardner said. “And we can’t just sit by.”

Around 100 community members gathered at Spokane Community College for a discussion on how to defend the principles.

While not directly named Thursday, the intensity over the cultural divide has been fueled by President Donald Trump’s efforts to fulfill his campaign promise of ending diversity, equity and inclusion efforts through executive action.

Trump’s efforts have come, in part, through a series of executive orders signed since he took office a month ago as the Republican leader continues to test the limits of presidential power.

Trump has placed all federal employees working in DEI offices on leave to eventually be laid off, rescinded an order establishing an equal opportunity policy for federal contractors put in place by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965 and established a federal policy recognizing only two genders. That’s in addition to tapping a vocal critic of similar efforts in the private sector, Andrea Lucas, to lead the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Gardner told the crowd Thursday’s event was organized with that in mind. The town hall was intended to be solution-oriented, so community members felt empowered to take action themselves. In turn, the NAACP was also seeking feedback on how to “continue to push the needle of progress” drawing from the experiences of those in the roomv, she said.

Thursday’s event began with a group of panelists sharing their expertise on the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion, and concluded with attendees expressing what they’d like to see in terms of action. The Black Lens Editor April Eberhardt, Spokane Civil Rights Director Jerrall Haynes and Francis Adewale, a public defender for the city of Spokane, served on the panel.

Eberhardt began by pointing out the acronym DEI has become a political dog whistle, “a slur, a dirty word almost,” but the principles are woven into the fabric of the country.

Reflective of the country itself, a diverse crowd attended the event, she noted. Inclusion is ensuring everyone in the room have a voice, and a place, in society. Equity is simply addressing the fact not everyone is afforded the same responsibilities and ensuring individual needs are met to bring them to a level playing field.

“Everything this country was built on, by word in the Constitution, in the Declaration of Independence, speaks of liberty and justice for all, speaks of equality for all,” Eberhardt said.

The initiatives are not the end goal – they are a means to the goal, a more just society, Adewale said. Using his own experiences to emphasize Eberhardt’s point, Adewale shared that next week, he will be sworn in as just the second Black president of the Washington State Bar Association in its nearly 140-year history.

DEI initiatives also aren’t new, Haynes added. They stretch back decades, and include things like women’s suffrage or efforts to combat discrimination in hiring practice for Vietnam veterans.

While the efforts have led to improvements in the quality of life for marginalized communities, there have been shortcomings in their implementation and oversight, Adewale said. A lot of focus was placed on recruitment for workplaces looking to diversify their workforce outside of their typical pools of candidates, but little focus was given to retaining those hired from underrepresented communities.

“When you’re bringing people in, that’s the easy part,” Eberhardt said. “… But the keeping me there part means that you have to really change your organizational culture. You have to change the way decisions are made, you have to change who helps you make those decisions, and that’s where the retention part comes, because don’t invite me to the table and think I’m not going to speak.”

Amidst the uncertainty, and as the attacks increase, responding as a united front is more important than ever, Eberhardt said. Marginalized communities need to work hand-in-hand to address social inequities in the workplace, government programs and services and broader society, she said.

“I think that working in silos is our biggest downfall, and I think top-down leadership is also our biggest downfall, because we all have a different vantage point that we see through in the systems where we work,” Eberhardt said. “So I think it would behoove us to use each other’s knowledge base, listen to each other and then make an action plan.”

Education is also vital to a community seeking to protect itself, Haynes said. That means ensuring neighbors and friends are aware of current issues, others’ perspectives and the historic background that led the country to this point. Building that educated, collaborative environment will make communities more resilient to political ebbs and flows.

“We do that by creating and supporting entities and organizations within our own community,” Haynes said. “… Businesses and financial institutions that are built and founded in equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and beliefs that make the commitment to place people above profit on a consistent basis.”

Eberhardt said organizations like the NAACP are “in a fight for humanity,” and recommended those willing to join the cause to get engaged with the different levels of government.

“Because the actions that we’re seeing are favoring a ruling class, and they are trying to cut everyone else out,” Eberhardt said. “So brush up on your civics. Understand how government works. Write your legislator constantly.”

Haynes said the work of organizing, educating others and taking action needs to happen sooner rather than later.

“It is very important for us to plan ahead, for us to develop strategies, to start engaging with people as early as humanly possible,” Haynes said. “Not waiting until these issues arise, but being able to develop strategies so we can see them coming and react and respond appropriately.”

Adewale believes young people need to be front and center in the fight. He’s long been engaged in civics, justice and advocacy, but the energy and activism he sees in today’s youth is “amazing” and needs to be harnessed, he said.

“If we lose DEI like they want to do now, we will find out that America will cease to be the America that your parents envisioned, that Dr. King envisioned for us,” Adewale said. “Let’s be very real: we need to fight.”