‘Anti-Racism’ Activists Lament Reduced Demand For Their Services
The leftist focus on “diversity, equity, and inclusion” training in corporate and academic realms has provided lucrative opportunities for so-called “anti-racist” educators in recent years.
Reports indicate some of the most prominent figures in this movement can earn $40,000 or more from a half-day session explaining how all White people are racist.
As we move further into Black History Month this year, however, a number of these activists are publicly complaining that the invitations are not coming in as quickly as they had expected. One such personality, who identifies herself on Twitter as both an “Anti Racism Educator,” “S— Talker,” and a “Blue Haired Unicorn,” started a conversation that included grievances from a number of fellow DEI instructors.
“I’m normally booked 15+ times in Black History Month, this year I’m booked *once*,” she tweeted.
Similar responses followed, including a post from one activist who wrote that she “had over 30 events on the calendar” last year but “nothing” this year.
Author Austin Channing Brown chimed in: “Girl…Not one invite this year.”
Another speaker admitted getting “kinda annoyed” that so many organizations “only reached out during” February before noting that no one had booked her during Black History Month 2023.
Instead of taking an introspective look at their own messages and the movement that they represent, at least a few of the DEI gurus found other people to blame.
According to Democratic Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon, GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis is responsible for the downturn.
“Blame the Florida Governor,” she replied. “Seriously. He’s caused A LOT OF THIS.”
DeSantis and other GOP state leaders have targeted DEI spending and the implementation of such policies on Florida college campuses. State House Speaker Paul Renner echoed the governor’s position, pushing for policies that would prevent such institutions from “promoting an aggressively ideological agenda under the guise of diversity, equity and inclusion.”
It is clear that Florida is not the only place where such programs are losing popularity.
Economist Aaron Terrazas cited the rise in prominence of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 and 2021 combined with a serious economic downturn as reasons that many corporations “took a breather” last year in funding for DEI programs.
“Business leaders have so many burning fires right now, it’s normal in some way that they turned their attention from this issue after the past couple of years,” he determined.
