The battle over Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) is intensifying, but a coalition of 16 Attorneys General (AGs) is pushing back against efforts to dismantle workplace diversity programs. On February 13, 2025, these AGs issued a powerful guidance document reaffirming that DEIA initiatives remain legal, beneficial, and essential for businesses across America.
A Bold Response to Executive Orders With the Biden administration out and Trump’s presidency bringing over 70 executive orders—many targeting DEI—corporations face increasing pressure to eliminate inclusive policies. However, the 16 AGs, led by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, are making it clear: businesses have every right to continue DEIA efforts. Their statement pushes back against the federal government’s attempts to intimidate companies into compliance, reminding employers that DEIA programs are not only lawful but also critical for reducing workplace discrimination, improving company culture, and strengthening economic growth. The 16 Attorneys General Include:
Click Here To Read The Attorneys General Report: https://bit.ly/4h0vfFv 10 Key Takeaways from the AGs’ Guidance:
​The Fight Isn’t Over. Now is the time for businesses and individuals to stand firm. Advocacy groups, legal professionals, and everyday citizens must push back against DEI rollbacks by protesting, calling legislators, and staying informed. The message is clear: Diversity is not illegal. Inclusion is not optional. Equity is not expendable. ​ Stay engaged, stay vocal, and continue the fight for DEIA! ​Listen To Carole's Podcast On This Topic Below.
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The power of collaboration and shared purpose continues to propel the US UK Summit on Race Series forward! On February 7th, we gathered for an inspiring and thought-provoking discussion: Black History Month: What's Race Got To Do With It?—and the response has been phenomenal! Over 1,000 attendees joined us across Zoom, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, engaging with this critical conversation on race and history.
This was our thirteenth US UK event, and it reinforced the importance of international dialogue in addressing racial issues. To date, more than 3,000 people from over 15 countries have participated in or watched the US UK Summit on Race Series. This ongoing initiative has sparked new relationships, deeper discussions, and meaningful actions that continue beyond the event itself. Powerful Keynote SpeakersOur event featured two outstanding keynote speakers who delivered compelling and insightful messages:
Their expertise and lived experiences brought depth to the conversation, inspiring attendees to reflect and take action within their own communities. The Driving Force Behind the SummitThe US UK Summit on Race Series is made possible through the dedication and hard work of an incredible team. I am honored to work alongside these two brilliant professionals who are committed to fostering meaningful dialogue:
Watch the Recording & Stay Engaged!If you missed the event, you can still experience the impactful discussions by watching the recording: Click here. For more details about the conference, speakers, and agenda, click on the four items below: Save the Date: March 13, 2025!The conversation doesn’t stop here! Mark your calendars for our next Multicultural Conference on March 13, 2025. Our theme: Brave, Bold, and Buoyant in Defense of DEI. Onward and upward—the US UK Summit continues its mission to create change, one conversation at a time. Thank you to everyone who made this event a resounding success! Let’s keep the momentum going! – Carole Copeland Thomas Find The Show On Your Favorite Podcast Platform
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Learn more about Juneteenth in Carole's Juneteenth Guidebook. Click Below to Learn More. |
And throughout the years, during my Collegium days and beyond, we NEVER designed a training module focused on Critical Race Theory! It may have been discussed but it was NEVER a part of our strategic design.
So…What is the Critical Race Theory?
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is an academic and legal framework created by law experts and scholars in the 1970s and 80s that has blown up into a controversial hot topic around the country. CRT is now tied to educational efforts as either an ideological concept or a threat to the "freedom" of our nation. Despite the naysayers, CRT has never been used as the educational foundation for public school systems around the United States, nor has it been the principal framework used by diversity experts in the country.
Who are some of the "framers" of CRT?
The late Attorney Derrick Bell, while on the faculty of Harvard Law School, was one of the early framers of CRT. Civil Rights advocate, attorney, and academician Kimberlé Crenshaw was also an early scholar who helped shape the concept. They were academic leaders looking at systemic racism from an institutional perspective. They had NO reason to roll out a CRT course for elementary school students.
Is CRT designed for elementary students?
NO! It has NEVER been designed with elementary, middle, or high school students in mind. It principally was confined to exploration in the legal and social justice arenas.
Why is CRT such a controversial topic?
Sadly, right-wing conservative groups have latched on to CRT and are now using it as a wedge issue as they wage culture wars across the United States. They have flipped it and now use messaging to denounce it as a racist ideology promoted by left-wing progressives.
When did the CRT controversy start?
It started under the Trump administration. On September 22, 2020, at the end of his term in office, President Trump signed Executive Order #13950 banning diversity training, CRT "training," gender identity, and sexual orientation training within federal agencies and contractors. I lost business because of that order.
Although the Executive Order was reversed by President Biden, various state legislatures across the US continued to push to ban CRT, diversity, gender identity, and sexual orientation educational efforts, primarily in public schools. Again CRT has never been taught in public schools, yet it has been targeted in various legislative bills across the United States.
What states are targeting anti CRT legislation?
To date, more than 44 states proposed or passed anti-CRT legislation impacting public school systems and job sites in New Hampshire, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, and several others. It started with Florida's ruling called the "Don't Say Gay" law, impacting grades Kindergarten through Third Grade, and bans any specific discussion about gender identity or sexual orientation in the classrooms. It passed the state Senate and was signed by the Governor of Florida on Monday, March 29, 2022. The law went into affect in July 2022
Florida continues to lead in anti CRT legislation that now targets public/state colleges and universities. As of February 2023, Florida House Bill 999/SB 266 is pending in their state legislature. It states the following:
Requires public college and university governing boards to review their institutions for violations of HB 7 or programs that are "based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, or privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, or economic inequities." Colleges and universities are also prohibited from expending any funds, regardless of source, that promotes or supports a program that violates HB 7, espouses diversity, equity, and inclusion, or promotes political or social activism. All general education courses must be "based on the fundamental truth that all persons are equal before the law and have inalienable rights and may not distort significant historical events or include a curriculum that teaches identity politics, violates [HB 7], or is based on theories that systemic racism, sexism, oppression, or privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and were created to maintain social, political, or economic inequities."
In New Hampshire, a pending law prohibits specific discussions about race or sex as mandatory student or employee training. Teachers can lose their license if caught teaching about race, gender identity, or sexual orientation. The bill was slipped in under the state budget without the benefit of the full range of discussion or hearings.
So, where can I learn more about CRT and the fight to reverse the legislation designed to kill it?
Start with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund document about CRT.
Download it here: https://bit.ly/3r7V5QQ
The NAACP Legal Defense Funds articulates it this way:
Critical Race Theory recognizes that racism is more than the result of individual bias and prejudice. It is embedded in laws, policies, and institutions that uphold and reproduce racial inequalities. According to CRT, societal issues like Black Americans' higher mortality rate, outsized exposure to police violence, the school-to-prison pipeline, denial of affordable housing, and the rates of the death of Black women in childbirth are not unrelated anomalies.
Here is an entire webpage I created to help you understand CRT:
http://www.tellcarole.com/understanding-crt.html
Good Book To Read:
Race, Rights, and Redemption: The Derrick Bell Lectures On The Law And Critical Race Theory
Edited by Janet Deward Bell and Vincent M. Southerland
LIVE State by State Update on Anti-CRT GAG Orders
https://bit.ly/3r8TQBd
Good YouTube Video To Watch on Right-Wing Groups and Why They Are Fighting Against CRT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtJ3s6YECAc&t=7s
Now do your homework, make up your OWN mind and talk to your friends, students, colleagues, or neighbors about WHY you support or denounce CRT. The choice is YOURS.
Five international holidays converge on the scene every December (and early January) to make our schedules hectic, exciting, and pressure-filled. Wrapping gifts while shopping at odd hours of the night either pushes us into the spirit of happiness OR helps us find an escape path until all of the celebrations are over.
Here are related links to five holidays with religious and nonreligious implications. You'll learn interesting facts and figures that will make you scratch your head in amazement. The marathon includes Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Three Kings Day. Learn new traditions and pass them on as the merriment continues throughout the holiday season.
May you celebrate the Season and get ready for an awe-inspiring 2023!
-Carole Copeland Thomas
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Links and Resources For The Five Holidays
1 Hanukkah
https://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/3840625/jewish/13-Hanukkah-Facts-Every-Jew-Should-Know.htm?gclid=CjwKCAiAmO3gBRBBEiwA8d0Q4pDJz2VX1LG1_sN0V5SAZbinichpFp5px9yfA6E7saEpk0daVFLqnRoCncwQAvD_BwE
2 Winter Solstice
https://www.farmersalmanac.com/get-ready-for-the-winter-solstice-23294
3 Christmas
Parenting Article Written For Kids
https://parenting.firstcry.com/articles/20-interesting-facts-and-information-about-christmas-for-kids/
Inc Magazine
https://www.inc.com/geoffrey-james/10-weird-facts-about-christmas.html
History of the Christmas Tree
https://www.historytoday.com/alison-barnes/first-christmas-tree
4 Kwanzaa
Official Website:
https://www.officialkwanzaawebsite.org/index.html
5 Three Kings Day
https://www.newsweek.com/when-three-kings-day-and-how-it-celebrated-epiphany-772690
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