After Wednesday night’s devastating airplane crash, President Trump opened his White House Press Briefing by turning straight to DEI as the cause of the collision and directing each of his secretaries to come up and also blame programs focused on increasing diversity in the workplace. Trump’s instinct to instantly turn the biggest aviation disaster in two decades into a political rally is the new standard and a clear example of how his second administration will continue to pursue these kinds of disasters. 

Trump’s quick jump to blame DEI efforts was not just bad because he has turned a national incident into a political talking point, but also because he uses DEI as a disguise to attack minority groups in an official role as president. In the White House press conference, he singled out Pete Buttigieg, the nation’s first gay department head, and his “diversity” as the reason that this crash happened. Following his criticism of Buttigieg, Trump then listed out groups of people who he believed had been hired under previous programs that corrupted the intellectual integrity of the department, including “dwarves” and “people with severe mental disabilities.”

On January 29, the Ohio Student Association protested at Senate Bill 1’s first and only proponent testimony hearing, sitting silently for the hearing’s two hour duration carefully reading copies of Senate Bill 1 before marching out with a chant of “Higher ed will be dead.” Student protesters present in the hearing room far outnumbered the proponents.

Nica Delgado, a senior at Kent State, sat front row at the hearing. “We heard a lot of misguided testimony from people who will not be directly affected by this bill, who haven’t been in classrooms since before we were born— and even before my parents were born. These people don’t know what our campuses are actually like. We’re the experts on that, but Cirino won’t listen to us.”

As the Trump presidency digs its claws into the country – winner take all! – I look on in terrified amazement as he begins arrogantly instituting what can only be called his plan to devolve America back to the good old days: back to the era of Jim Crow certainty and whatever that might mean.

We’re white, we’re Christian and we’re the best! Just ask Pete Hegseth.

This is the “Gulf of America”! It’s not Trump’s smugly renamed Gulf of Mexico; it’s the hole in the country’s collective consciousness, which Mr. President is hellbent on expanding. His plan is to make America safe for what it used to be and allow our old, beloved prejudices to return. Deport the illegals! Kill wokeness! Kill understanding and awareness!

All of which leaves a few glaring questions hovering over the daily news: How the hell did this guy win a majority of votes? Is he really aligned with the nation’s primary beliefs? And if he isn’t . . . uh, what happened last November? Was the election rigged? Was it stolen? And if so, how? Do we live in a publicly proclaimed – yet fake – democracy?

Columbus City Council’s decision to appoint Otto Beatty III to replace outgoing City Council member and newly elected Franklin County Prosecutor Shayla Favor should come as no surprise. Council President Hardin was apparently warned of the illegalities of his demands that the appointee be “an African American woman and somebody not seeking election to the seat in November” and appointed an African-American male. Hardin has no legal authority to place restrictions on the appointee from running for the seat or demanding that they be of a certain gender. The reason he places restrictions on running for the seat is to give the false impression that they are not giving the appointed person the advantage of incumbency in the future election for the seat. It really doesn't matter because the Franklin County Democratic Party will endorse a preordained candidate for the seat whether it’s the appointee or someone else.

On January 20 and 21, 2025, President Trump by executive order instructed all Federal Government offices to disregard all DEI initiatives; has ordered agencies to combat private-sector DEI mandates, policies, and programs; has eliminated federal funding for a more just and equitable country.

But the need for attention to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives remains as important as ever in all aspects of life in the USA, especially in health care.

Diversity – the practice and quality of including people from a range of social and ethnic backgrounds. We know that no two people are alike. Our genetic make-up, geographical origins, cultural background, religious practice, economic and educational opportunities, age, and ability make us all different in wonderful ways. This is a reality regardless of Presidential Proclamation and something to be appreciated as we build shared communities, foster creativity, and strive to create an environment where basic human rights are met.