By Derrick Johnson and Michele Ruiz

Earlier this Summer, President Biden issued a sweeping Executive Order, which advances diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility or “DEI&A” initiatives throughout the federal government. With a stroke of the pen, Biden has positively impacted practically every area of federal employment, including hiring policies, training, leadership development, and employee pay and benefits. As leaders in the civil rights and business community who prioritize DEI&A, we applaud the President for taking this next step to address unconscious bias and attract, develop, and support a federal workforce that truly represents our nation.

By issuing the order, Biden is directing each agency head to “…take steps to implement or increase the availability and use of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility training programs for employees, managers, and leadership.”

DEI&A initiatives and training make governments, businesses, and organizations stronger. Surveys show that 67% of job seekers consider workplace diversity an important factor when considering employment opportunities. Sixty-one percent of employees believe diversity and inclusion strategies are beneficial and essential. If the federal government wants to attract and retain the best talent, it needs DEI&A training and programs with all deliberate speed.

Bias in policymaking—whether systemic or unconscious—has historically resulted in adverse outcomes for communities of color and other marginalized groups. From immigration legislation to healthcare policy to education, programs need to be designed and implemented with an eye toward how they will affect all citizens, regardless of their race or economic circumstances. According to the White House, overcoming bias in public policy around wages, housing credit, lending, and access to higher education could amount to an additional $5 trillion in gross domestic product in the American economy over the next five years.

Unconscious bias experts cite, and numerous studies demonstrate that not addressing unconscious bias leads to high turnover, low morale, less innovation, increased legal risk, and less effective teams. Without question, making federal service more accessible and fairer to diverse groups is the right thing to do; it is also better for our economy and our democracy. Fact is a diverse, inclusive, creative, and productive federal workforce best reflects the face of the nation at home and abroad. Whether trying to devise solutions to fix the housing crisis or ensure access to broadband technology, it also ensures a range of unique perspectives is incorporated into innovative and public-focused services and solutions the government provides to the American people.

Similar conclusions can be made in the private sector. In 2017 Harvard Business Review/University of Chicago study estimated that corporate employee disengagement and alienation cost companies between $450 and $550 billion per year. That is why many corporate leaders prioritize best-in-class, science-based anti-bias training from the C-Suite to entry-level employees.

If America is going to continue to lead the world by the power of our ideas, as President Biden has said, we must go a step further and lead by the power of our example. Our nation deserves nothing less.

Derrick Johnson is President and CEO of the NAACP and Michele Ruiz is Co-Founder and CEO of BiasSync.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The coronavirus pandemic has focused the nation’s attention on the essential role public schools play in families and communities’ lives.

The NAACP said it’s also exposed severe racial inequalities that continue to plague the country’s education system and disadvantaged students of color.

Rather than addressing those problems, NAACP President Derrick Johnson declared that U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos “exploited the pandemic to promote her personal agenda of funneling taxpayer dollars to private schools and taking resources away from the schools and the students who need it most.”

“We simply can’t let this happen. So, we’re taking her to court,” Johnson announced.

The NAACP formally filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington, D.C., accusing DeVos of illegally changing the rules for allocating $13.2 billion in Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) money to benefit wealthy private k-12 schools.

“Recently, Secretary DeVos issued regulations that would force public school districts to divert federal emergency relief funds from public schools and send them to private schools. By one estimate, over $1 billion would be lost to private schools under the rule,” Johnson declared.

“So, the NAACP filed a lawsuit along with public school families and school districts across the country, challenging this unfair, unequal, and unjust rule. We’ll fight this as hard as it takes – for as long as it takes – to protect our students, schools, and communities.”

The NAACP’s lawsuit suggests that the CARES Act, which was signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year, says explicitly that local school departments are to distribute the fund based on the number of Title I, or low-wealth students, in a particular school.

Congress allowed CARES funds to go to institutions that depend on tuition and donations because lawmakers said they recognized that some students from low-income families attend private schools.

The lawsuit claims the share going to private schools should have its basis on the number of Title I students attending those schools.

DeVos did not follow that rule, the NAACP contends, spelling out that hundreds of millions of dollars in CARES Act funds would immediately divert from public schools to affluent private schools.

The controversial education secretary reportedly holds a different interpretation of how local school districts should distribute the money.

Her interim final rule allows sharing the money equally with private schools based on the number of students in those schools, regardless of how many are Title I students.

“The Rule is as immoral as it is illegal,” NAACP lawyers argue.

The NAACP filed the lawsuit on behalf of a group of parents and their children, who are enrolled in economically disadvantaged public schools. The Pasadena, California, Unified School District, and Stamford, Connecticut, School District, joined the NAACP in the lawsuit asking for an injunction to prevent DeVos from immediately instituting her change to the rule.

“In this moment of crushing need for America’s public schools, the Rule directs public school districts to divert desperately needed CARES Act 1 funds to affluent students in private schools or face unlawful limitations on the way that those funds can be spent – both in direct contravention of the Act,” the lawsuit reads. “The Rule harms American children and subverts the will of Congress; it cannot stand.”

If allowed to proceed, the DeVos’ rule would change public schools, including some in which “80, 90 and 99 percent” of the students are from low-income families.

“She’s trying to increase allocation disproportionately for private schools over public schools in the midst of the debate over whether or not schools should reopen. It’s horrific what she’s doing,” Johnson told ABC News. “What will happen is you further take money away from children who are financially in need to benefit high-wealth children.”

By Destiny Hamilton, Jamaica Queens NAACP

Every decade since 1940, New York has lost at least one congressional seat due to an undercount in the decennial census. The census is a survey taken every ten years to count the United States population. The information collected is used to determine the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives, and how much federal funding each state will receive.

Crowned “The Melting Pot,” New York City is one of the most diverse places in the world. There are roughly 8.6 million residents in NYC and yet every decade, only a little over half of those individuals are actually counted in the census. This year the New York City Council and the City University of New York (CUNY) has allocated $19 million to community-based organizations across the five boroughs to mobilize and educate the community about the census. This funding is known as the Complete Count Fund. No other city in the nation has allocated such a large amount of funding towards census related work. The goal of the Complete Count Fund is to increase the self-response rate for the 2020 Census to ensure that every person residing in New York is accurately counted.

In December 2020, Mayor DeBlasio and the New York City Council announced more than 150 awardees of the Complete Count Fund. Each awardee received from $15,000 to $250,000 to engage in direct mobilization around the Census in their neighborhoods. The awardees and volunteers are known as Neighborhood Organizing Census Committees (NOCC). The organizations were strategically chosen to serve the most hard-to-count neighborhoods in the five boroughs.

The NAACP Metropolitan Council of Branches, under the leadership of Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, is amongst the many organizations to receive funding. Prior to receiving the funding, the New York State Conference was already organizing for the Census to serve their Civic Engagement Game Changer. Some of their Census engagement initiatives include hosting Census information sessions at local NAACP branches, tabling at events, and hosting workshops about the importance of the Census. Other awardees include, but are not limited to, LIFE Camp Inc., Rockaway Youth Task Force, African Communities Together, and the Black Alliance for Just Immigration.

New York City must overcome many adversities to increase the Census count this year. The idea of strangers going into communities to solicit personal information evokes fear for many residents. For the Black community, this fear stems from millenniums of violence and deception caused by racism and hatred. From slavery to the Jim Crow era, the United States government has proved time and time again that they are capable of manipulating Black people. Although social conditions for Black people have somewhat improved, there are still systems of oppression such as mass incarceration and police brutality that continue to evoke fear for black and brown people and make them hesitant to willingly share personal information.

Under the Trump administration, deportation has surged in New York City by 150%. Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) raids in the city have also significantly increased. These raids and deportation efforts target immigrants of color in mostly Latinx communities. Once taken by ICE, the families are then placed in detention camps where they wait to face a judge and most likely be deported. Many undocumented immigrants come to the United States to live a better life, and they do not want to sacrifice by giving out personal information to unfamiliar faces.

Many individuals in New York City are also subleasing apartments. Due to family dynamics, there are more people living in their houses than stated on the lease. This situation causes conflict because those individuals do not want to fill out the Census, fearing that they will be evicted and forced to search for a home during a time where New York City rent is at its highest ever.

These struggles prove why a highly diverse group of individuals are needed to execute the groundwork and persuade unique individuals in New York’s historically undercounted neighborhoods to fill out the Census. The people from NOCCs live in and speak the languages of the communities they are based in. Therefore, they have the best ability to connect to individuals on a personal level in order to overcome the adversities that NOCCs have to educate the community about the Census. There are only 10 questions asked in the Census, and under Title 13, your information is not allowed to be shared with anyone. This includes ICE, New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and the New York Police Department (NYPD). If information is shared, it would result in a fine up to $250,000 and jail time.

Now that you know about New York City’s efforts to ensure a Complete Count, let’s spread the word about the Census to others so NYC can move on up!!! #NYCcounts.

By Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO

History commonly and most often points to late August in the year 1619 when some “20 and odd Negroes” originating from Angola arrived in the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia as the first documented enslaved Africans to land in what is now the United States. This nation and its wealth was built through forced labor and the very existence of Black men and women.

It’s truly ironic that as this country celebrates 400 years of democracy, the Black community is still fighting for equal rights, justice and freedom.

The century that followed emancipation saw the creation of policies that discriminated against black people and largely excluded them from wealth building, creating an inherited disadvantage for future generations. This is why the idea of reparations, brought forth during the Civil War era, has continued to be a topic of grave concern for the NAACP.

On a daily basis, we grapple with domestic terrorism and state sanctioned violence in the guise of white supremacy — all under the watch of one of the most racist administrations since the Jim Crow era. Along with his xenophobic policies, President Donald Trump is doing all he can to punish immigrants and alienate Black Americans, using hateful tweets and chants of “Send her back,” as a rallying cry for his base. At NAACP’s annual convention, our delegates voted unanimously to call on the House to begin impeachment proceedings against President Trump.

We can’t and won’t whitewash or glorify this experience — but it has made us stronger and more resilient than ever.

We know from the incredible Black voter turnout in the midterm elections that African-Americans are not only the most critical voting bloc, but the most powerful when we are encouraged to participate actively in our Democracy.

Next week, the NAACP, will embark on a historic and spiritual journal to commemorate the 400-year anniversary of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. More than 200 African-Americans will pay homage to the strength, power and resilience of our people.

In our journey from Jamestown, Virginia to Ghana, we will not only retrace the footsteps of our ancestors through the slave dungeons and along the shores where the enslaved had their last bath before their trek to the western world – we will also immerse ourselves in the vibrant culture and join leading government and business leaders to learn more about business, development and investment in Ghana.

Through this experience, we hope to actualize the healing and collective unity so many generations have worked to achieve in ways which bring power to our communities in America, Africa and throughout our Diaspora.

By Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO

As I ventured to the southern border near Laredo, Texas, I could not help but think about the tragic shootings in El Paso and Dayton, which are stark reminders of the dangers that plague our communities under the resurgence of white nationalism, domestic terrorism, intolerance and racial hatred germinating from the White House.

People of color are feeling less safe today and any day when we see the realities of domestic terrorism and racially-motivated acts of violence.

However, we’ve yet to see any tangible measures and policy initiatives from President Trump, only the repeated dehumanization of people who are the opposite image of what this administration believes Americans should look like.

This is why it was imperative that the NAACP traveled to Texas, not only to raise awareness and visibility of the ongoing humanitarian crisis at the border but to examine the current plight of immigrants that have been demonized and made actual targets of Trump’s hate filled rhetoric.

As I walked through the doors of The Holding Institute – a non-profit community center located in Laredo that is committed to alleviating the cruel and inhumane conditions faced by immigrants – I was told that the facility can service as many as 25-100 people a day. Prior to coming to the facility, all processing documentation is given to people in English, which makes it more likely to be processed inaccurately and not properly vetted.

I heard stories of immigrants from Ghana, Congo, and Angola who traveled to Brazil to assist with the construction for the 2016 Olympics, who were kicked out of their home countries and remain at the border seeking asylum. This was a much-needed reminder that the immigration crisis doesn’t just reside within the Hispanic and Latin American community but touches Black people, and people of color from all over the world.

I met a woman named Maricella who had to leave her teenage daughter in Honduras. She traveled 22 days from her country to the border where she was separated from her 27-year-old son and has not seen him since. She now fears bringing her daughter to the border as most young girls have a high-likelihood of being sold into sex-trafficking.

I was also told a story of a young mother and daughter being held at a nearby detention center, who had not had a warm bath in months and were only allowed one-COLD burrito to eat a day to share between the two of them.

I shook hands with a 13 year-old-boy whose mother told him to make eye contact and shake hands firmly. Even in the midst of horrific living conditions and imprisonment, children at the facility are still being taught to treat people with respect, while being treated less than human.

As a community of people who were ripped away from our homeland 400 years ago, Black America understands the detrimental effects of family separation.

The century that followed our emancipation saw the creation of policies that discriminate against Black people and largely excluded them from wealth building, creating an inherited disadvantage for future generations.

Trump’s handling of the immigration system is racist, petty and inhumane. He is doing all he can to punish immigrants that he believes are undeserving this country and uses this as a rallying cry for his base.

The crisis at the border will now create a new generation of people of color that will be reeling from the discriminatory policies of the Trump Administration.

My heart may have been troubled when I left the facility but our work at the border doesn’t stop here. In the face of this cruelty, the NAACP – as always – is refusing to agonize, and instead, will continue to organize. We will demand that the Trump Administration and Congress:

• Immediately remove the “zero tolerance” and “family separation” policies;
• Limit the time to detain children to 20 days and requires immigration officials to give detained minors a certain quality of life (including food, drinking water, medical assistance in emergencies, toilets, sinks, temperature control);
• Demand appropriate adequate funding to correct the cruel and inhumane conditions of detention centers and alleviate the current hearings backlog, shortage of judges and administrators to discharge asylum petitions;
• Call for a moratorium on deportation raids; and
• Continue to file lawsuits in defense of DREAMERS and on behalf of thousands of hard-working individuals negatively impacted by xenophobia and racist immigration policies

This country was built on the backs of slaves and immigrants. Now is not the time to turn away from the crisis at hand but work to create realistic, sustainable and effective pathways to citizenship for immigrants in America.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities.