NAACP Calls for Firing of Virginia’s Diversity Chief for Criticizing DEI Movement
Martin Brown: The Unconventional DEI Bureaucrat
Meet Martin Brown, Chief Diversity Officer and Director of the Office of Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion under Gov. Glenn Youngkin. But don’t expect him to fit the mold of a typical DEI bureaucrat. In fact, Brown would like nothing better than to see his job disappear.
During a speech to VMI cadets, Brown praised VMI for educating the leaders of tomorrow and added, “We are living in a crazy time right now,” later adding, “We can’t continue to operate like we have as a country, as a state, and as institutions of higher learning.”
“We can’t ascribe perpetual victimization or even motives because they’re different. Acknowledging those truths frees us up to deal with the real issues of today … it’s creating a sense of division in the greatest country in the world.”
Naturally, not everyone agreed with those sentiments. The Virginia chapter of the NAACP issued a statement, “The speech was filled with partisan talking points and erroneous assumptions and demonstrated Mr. Brown’s lack of fitness for the critically important position he occupies.”
“Mr. Brown implied that the very existence of the office he occupies creates division and what he called ‘stink’ among the people of the Commonwealth of Virginia. His comments are not in keeping with either the intent of the office nor the spirit of unity of people supported by the Virginia State Conference NAACP. He should resign immediately.”
Why is it that those who do their absolute best to create division and disunity in America yell the loudest when someone calls them out for it?
During the Q&A portion after his speech, a faculty member in the audience, who identified herself as a minority, complained about current DEI policies mandated by the Virginia General Assembly. The same faculty member indicated she would like to see a shift away from DEI, which Brown said he agreed with.
Then, he didn’t mince words.
“DEI is dead,” he told the audience.
“It was mandated by the general assembly, but this governor has a different philosophy of civil discourse, civility, treating people with the golden rule,” he said.
Brown, a graduate of D.C.’s historically Black college Howard University, told audience members that it is his and Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s position that diversity and inclusion can inform the mission of institutions such as VMI, but that it can’t be the mission itself. (emphasis added)
Martin Brown: The Unconventional Chief Diversity Officer
Meet Martin Brown, the Chief Diversity Officer and Director of the Office of Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion under Gov. Glenn Youngkin. Unlike most DEI bureaucrats, Brown doesn’t believe in making diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) the end-all and be-all of academic institutions. In fact, he would like nothing better than to see his job disappear.
The Problem with DEI
Brown argues that the pursuit of equity means “you’re not pursuing merit or excellence or achievement.” He believes that there are other criteria — objective and unbiased — that can measure excellence. And if excellence isn’t the goal, then why not just come out and say so?
It’s not that Brown is against diversity and inclusion in schools. He just believes that basing an entire society on counting people by the color of their noses to define “equity” is, by definition, discriminatory and exclusionary.
The Controversy
Not everyone agrees with Brown’s views. State Sen. Lamont Bagby, chairman of the state legislative Black Caucus, called Brown’s statements “disingenuous” and questioned why he was still in his job. The Virginia NAACP also called for his resignation, stating that “diversity, equity, and inclusion have been a staple of corporate organizations for many years, so to say that it’s dead at an institution of higher learning is very troubling.”
But Brown’s supporters argue that he is simply advocating for a more objective and unbiased approach to measuring excellence. The NAACP is avoiding the issue by trashing him for what he didn’t say, rather than what he did say.
The Bottom Line
At the end of the day, Brown’s unconventional views on DEI have sparked controversy. But he remains committed to graduating exceptional cadets and believes that there are better ways to measure excellence than by counting noses.
- DEI shouldn’t be the end-all and be-all of academic institutions.
- There are other criteria that can measure excellence.
- Excellence should be the goal, not just equity.
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