Diversity, equity and inclusion are values worth saving. Let's raise our voices.

Yahoo

19-02-2025

As faith and community leaders, we come together in this moment to remember history and challenge the present and fight for the future.
During Black History Month, we reflect on the enduring struggle for freedom, justice and dignity – and we know that we cannot separate our past from our present reality.
The attack on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) by the current administration is not just political; it is a moral failing. It is an attempt to erase hard-fought progress, to silence truth-telling and to reassert a system that has for too long privileged a few at the expense of the many.
We have seen this playbook before.
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The same forces that once justified segregation, voter suppression and economic disparity are now repackaging those injustices under the guise of 'merit' – as if America has ever functioned on an unbiased, level playing field.
But let us be clear: the dismantling of DEI is nothing more than a deliberate attempt to entrench inequity and white supremacy.
Just as the words 'End Racism' were quietly removed from the end zone during the recent Super Bowl game, this administration seeks to strip away efforts that foster belonging, justice and repair.
They call for unity, yet their actions divide.
They speak of fairness, yet their policies exclude.
The message is clear:
Diversity is a threat.
Equity must be undone.
Inclusion is expendable.
But we refuse to be silent.
The legendary Black author James Baldwin once wrote, 'Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.'
This moment demands that we face the truth: racism and exclusion are not relics of the past – they are realities shaping our present. To dismantle DEI is to deny the truth of this nation's history and to betray its future.
Indeed, this is the work that the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) and the subsequent Manasota Branch strives to do as they promote the teaching of accurate Black history and to confront legislation ostensibly passed to protect children from feeling guilty for slavery and its attendant horrors.
We believe the truthful, age-appropriate teaching of our history is essential for all children.
DEI is not a threat to this nation; it is its redemption.
Our strength has never been found in uniformity but in the boldness of our diversity. A nation that acknowledges past harms and builds policies that uplift historically marginalized communities is a nation that thrives.
When Black voices, immigrant voices, Indigenous voices, queer voices and all voices from the margins are heard, we are all stronger.
As faith and community leaders, we declare unequivocally that DEI is not just a political strategy – it is a moral imperative. It is a reflection of our deepest values: that all people are created with inherent dignity, that justice requires action and that our faith envisions the world as one of equity, not exclusion.
So today, in the face of these attacks, we lift our voices not in despair but in defiant hope.
We call on our communities to speak out, to resist and to defend the sacred work of inclusion. We urge businesses, schools, places of worship and civic institutions to refuse to cave to the pressures of whitewashing history and restricting diversity initiatives.
We will not allow the progress of the past to be erased. We will sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us. And together, we will march on till victory is won.
This guest column was jointly authored by the following Sarasota-area faith and community leaders:
David G. Wilkins, Manasota ASALH
Rev. Alex G. Evangelista, pastor, Pine Shores Presbyterian Church
Rev. Dr. Wes Bixby, pastor, First Congregational UCC
Rev. Ashley Nicolls, pastor, St. Paul Lutheran Church
Rev. Dr. Laurie Etter, SURE, co-chair
Rev. Eric Olaf Olsen, pastor, Faith Lutheran Church
Mel Gosselin, executive director, ALSO Youth
Rev. Ryan McBride, pastor, 12 Springs Church
Karlenna (KK) Burchell, Harvest Sarasota Church
Rev Stephen Hoffman, United Methodist Clergy
Rev. Dr. Paul T. Reiter, Presbyterian Church U.S.A. Clergy
The Rev. Carla McCook, St. Margaret of Scotland Episcopal Church
The Rev. Wayne F. Farrell, St. Boniface Episcopal Church
Rev. Dr. Mary Alice Mulligan, minister, St. Andrew United Church of Christ
JT Priar, young adult minister, Church of the Trinity MCC
Dr. John W. Walker, Jr., retired pastor, Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Rev. Jay Wolin, Minister, Unitarian Universalists of Sarasota
Rev. Elder Lillie Brock, senior pastor, Church of the Trinity MCC
Rabbi Jennifer Singer, Liberal Yeshiva
Kristopher Wise, United Methodist Church
Rev. Sarah Robles Wise, United Methodist Clergy
Rev. Dr. Jeff Jones, retired seminary professor, Andover Newton
Rev. Dr. Tim Boggess, pastor, First Presbyterian Church of Sarasota
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Destroying DEI is about restoring white supremacy | Opinion