Opinion: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Hiring Process
By Dawson Beard, Skyline Columnist
ALPINE - Back in February, Texas Governor Greg Abbott introduced House Bill 1006, which would ban diversity, equity and inclusion considerations by employers in the hiring process.
The bill prohibits the following:
“…the funding, promotion, sponsorship, or support of any office of diversity, equity, and inclusion; and any office that funds, promotes, sponsors, or supports an initiative or formulation of diversity, equity, and inclusion beyond what is necessary to uphold the equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution; and the endorsement or dissuasion of, or interference with, any lifestyle, race, sex, religion, or culture.”
In keeping with their patterns of outrage over laws they don’t take time to read and understand, activists and left-wing political officials are furious. After reading this bill however, this reporter is confused by this outrage, as this legislation simply requires that employers not take race, ethnicity, lifestyle, religion, sex, etc. into consideration when making hiring decisions. I believe that these criteria should not be the deciding factor of anything, much less in hiring. This legislation is consistent with the Republican agenda of establishing and maintaining merit-based systems within our society.
However, the opposition to this bill is adhering to what it means to be a liberal in 2023 - if you don’t agree with something, call it “racist.” Multiple media outlets, such as KXAN, an NBC affiliate, have blatantly stated in their headlines that the “Bill would ban diversity, equity and inclusion at Texas universities” instead of acknowledging the stated purpose of the legislation.
This rhetoric is dangerously misleading and only serves to cause further division and political chaos. Headlines like this lead readers to believe that it is now illegal in Texas to be diverse, equitable, and inclusive in certain institutions, but this could not be further from the truth. This bill functions as a means of leveling the playing field in the hiring process and will prevent giving people unfair advantages solely due to immutable characteristics.
Ultimately, hiring is a judgment made by the employer. The employer decides that a certain person is right for the position that they are looking to fill. What happened to this judgment being made, not by race, sex, or background, but by character and merit? As soon as the criteria for that decision by an employer to hire someone is what color the person’s skin is or what genitalia they possess and not simply the qualifications and merit of that individual, our society will be set back many years.