Staff Reports
In a head-spinning move, the Biden administration has pulled out all the stops to push its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) agenda at the State Department. Despite businesses and GOP-led states waving the white flag on DEI programs, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made it crystal clear that he’s not backing down. He’s fired up the DEI engine by appointing Zakiya Carr Johnson as the new chief diversity and inclusion officer at the State Department.
Meet the State Department's New Chief Diversity Officer
https://t.co/tZw5gigCzd— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) April 4, 2024
Johnson, with a laundry list of DEI credentials, is set to take the reins from the previous acting CDIO, Conny Mayer. Her track record includes founding Odara Solutions and co-founding the Black Women Disrupt Initiative. She’s also flexed her DEI muscles as a senior adviser and director of the Race, Ethnicity and Social Inclusion Unit in the State Department while co-chairing the White House Inter-Agency Committee on Gender-Based Violence Monitoring and Evaluation. Blinken gushed over Johnson’s past work in promoting entrepreneurship and access to opportunity for underrepresented populations, as well as her commitment to inclusive leadership. But come on, aren’t we all sick of the DEI parade by now?
This appointment comes at a time when the walls are starting to cave in on DEI programs. Let’s not forget that in March, the House Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) got the boot as part of a government spending bill. But Blinken ain’t worried. He’s all in, believing that American diplomacy can only triumph if it taps into the full range of talent our nation has to offer. He’s making it rain on the DEI front, aiming to give it the senior-level attention it craves. According to him, the Department of State has been making strides on the DEI front for the past three years, but there’s no resting on laurels here. They’re going to keep hunting down the most capable workforce, because, you know, national security’s at stake.
And just when you thought this DEI circus couldn’t get any more wild, Blinken took to Twitter to announce Johnson’s appointment, patting himself on the back for “advancing national security by building a workforce that reflects the America it represents.” It’s like they’re trying to dismantle traditional structures left and right. Can’t they just let things be?
