Republicans are at war with corporate America over diversity

Republicans have long called themselves champions of free market capitalism, decrying harm they claim is caused by too much government regulation. Yet some now favor regulations and laws restricting the freedom of businesses to voluntarily adopt policies promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. 

Companies embracing DEI believe it is in their self-interest to increase hiring, acceptance and advancement opportunities for qualified employees from underrepresented groups — including women, Black, Hispanic and LGBTQ Americans and people with disabilities.  

The traditional GOP anti-regulation position would be to not interfere with businesses wanting to adopt DEI policies. That’s because the party has long maintained that less government regulation increases corporate profits, resulting in increased tax revenues, stock prices, business innovation, employee hiring and wages and a stronger U.S. economy. 

In seeking to abolish DEI policies, Republicans are doing a dramatic about-face and picking a fight with businesses they usually support, defend and rely on for campaign contributions.    

An August Harris Poll shows that Republicans opposing DEI programs are out of step with most Americans — something Republicans would be wise to remember as elections draw closer.  

The poll, commissioned by the Black Economic Alliance Foundation, shows that 78 percent of Americans “support businesses taking steps to make sure companies reflect the diversity of the American population.” This includes 75 percent of whites and 67 percent of Republicans.  

Importantly, multiple studies show that companies benefit — earning bigger profits, being more innovative, and reducing employee turnover — when they adopt policies to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.  

For example, a study by the Boston Consulting Group found that diverse workforces are 19 percent more productive. A study by McKinsey & Company concluded that gender and ethnic diversity combined boost a company’s financial performance above the national industry median by an average of 25 percent.  

Yet Republican opponents of DEI continue to inaccurately characterize it as a burden that forces companies to hire and promote less-qualified workers and adopt policies that reduce profitability. This line of attack is based on the false assumption that white male job candidates and employees are usually more qualified than people from other demographic categories.

The Supreme Court decision in June outlawing race-conscious affirmative action (a form of DEI) in college admissions has prompted a growing number of Republicans to seek to end DEI at businesses as well. 

Speaking the day after the landmark Supreme Court ruling, former president and leading Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump promised to: “eliminate all diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the entire federal government,” and “direct the [Department of Justice] to pursue civil rights claims against any school, corporation or university that engages in unlawful racial discrimination.” 

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) — Trump’s leading challenger for the Republican presidential nomination — has attacked DEI as “woke” and said, “DEI is better viewed as standing for discrimination, exclusion and indoctrination.” He signed a bill into law in May banning state colleges and universities in Florida from spending money on DEI programs. 

In addition, 13 Republican state attorneys general sent a letter to Fortune 100 companies in July threatening legal action against businesses to halt their DEI efforts, focusing on programs that benefit Black job applicants, employees and contractors, which the letter incorrectly called “racially discriminatory quotas and preferences.”  

Citing examples of DEI actions by several major corporations, the letter asserted: “Such race-based employment and contracting violates both state and federal law, and as the chief law enforcement officers of our respective states we intend to enforce the law vigorously.” The letter was signed by the attorneys general of Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia.  

Edward Blum, who heads the conservative group American Alliance for Equal Rights and led the fight that resulted in the Supreme Court ending race-conscious affirmative action in college admissions, is seeking to end race-conscious DEI programs outside colleges as well.  

Blum filed lawsuits in August against two large international law firms (Perkins Coie in Dallas and Morrison & Foerster in Miami) accusing them of unlawfully discriminating against white law school students by limiting applications for certain paid fellowships to students from groups historically underrepresented in the legal profession. Both law firms deny wrongdoing. 

It’s sad that efforts to open the doors to the American Dream wider with DEI programs have become a political flashpoint that Republicans are using to pit Americans against each other.  

DEI is not a radical anti-white and anti-male policy, as critics claim. It is just common sense, enabling our country to take advantage of the brainpower of all types of people in our diverse population.  

As the slogan of the United Negro College Fund states: “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Yet for most of American history, Black people, women and other marginalized groups were denied many educational and career opportunities. That injustice robbed our nation of its full talents.  

Companies that have adopted DEI policies have done so because the policies make good business sense. They also make good sense for America and advance the cause of justice and equity. They should be expanded, not eliminated.  

Donna Brazile is a political strategist, a contributor to ABC News and former chair of the Democratic National Committee. She is the author of “Hacks: Inside the Break-ins and Breakdowns That Put Donald Trump in the White House.”