Since joining ARE as Chair of the Trustees at Action for Race Equality in 2002, Seema Manchanda has been a dedicated advocate for equality and delivery through her regeneration work. Here, she issues a stark warning about DEI erosions and the dangers of false claims.
🕒 Estimated read time: 5 minutes
Globally, the best example I can ever think of when considering how a blame-free, learning society works, is an example set by the aviation industry accident investigation. I have always been impressed by the approach of this sector to really understand the causes of accidents, learn from them, and implement appropriate changes to stop future accidents.
In part, this approach was developed because it is so necessary as, in this industry, one mistake can take so many lives very quickly. This is also a global industry and involves people all across the world, from all countries and therefore, it is a diverse industry.
Sadly, following the accident on 29 January 2025, President Trump, a man in the highest office jumped the gun on the usual accident investigation protocol to hijack this tragedy for racist cause and with no reason to do so. With a total lack of respect for air traffic staff and the 67 who sadly lost their lives and their families and friends, Donald Trump blamed diversity hires for this accident.
In fact at the US FAA (Federal Aviation Administration), hiring for this job is not made through diversity programmes and the role of air traffic controller is recruited on very strict grounds. People must be aged under 31 (and they retire at 55), they take a medical exam, an aptitude test, a psychological exam, and of those that pass, only 60% finish the 3-4 year training programme. There is no evidence for Trump’s claim. So why has he made it?
A worrying message to the world
The worrying answer is that this is the message Trump wants to send to the world. If people from minority communities get jobs, then that is a compromise and will lead to worse outcomes in the world of work, nay deaths. Although what Trump is now claiming he meant is that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) policies have caused the FAA to be short-staffed due to recruitment issues – this is also unevidenced. Either way, this is despicable and baseless nonsense, and I would like to be able to ignore it.
However, when the most powerful man in the free world is saying this stuff, it is hard to ignore. Sadly, power gives authority – even when that power is misused, misapplied and used for unjust causes. We are only at the beginning of Trump’s second term and I suspect that this is not the last we will hear of Trump’s ‘common sense’ or to call it what it is – racism.
At the end of January 2025, American state agencies shut down all DEIA offices with staff on paid leave (until programmes are ended formally and staff lose their jobs entirely). All websites and social media of these offices have been closed down and all equity plans or other documents issued in response to the now repealed Executive Order 14035 Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility in the Federal Workforce have been withdrawn. Trump will point to the fact that he signed a new Executive Order to end discrimination in the workplace and in higher education. This new order is a watered-down version of the previous revoked order and it is also contradictory as it states that “DEIA can violate the civil rights laws of this Nation …. By diminishing the importance of individual merit, aptitude, hard work and determination…. including all levels of government, medical, aviation and law enforcement communities.”
Removing datasets from the internet
On 31 January 2025, news was released that several federal government datasets – in the thousands – have been removed from the internet. Specifically, large-scale national health data providing information by ethnicity, sex and gender. If you do not measure racism, or talk about it, or if that information is no longer publicly available then you do not give people what they need to fight racism. In other policy areas, many datasets providing climate or environmental information were also removed. While some surveys have since come back online, some have had parts of the information withheld. This is a complex area but in our big data world, openness and transparency are important elements of democracy and this situation requires a watching brief.
We need to be very careful about the behaviours being modelled on the other side of the pond. Racism can operate as an infection – it can be modelled behaviour.”
They say when America sneezes the world catches a cold – behaviourally and economically. We need to be very careful about the behaviours being modelled on the other side of the pond. Racism can operate as an infection – it can be modelled behaviour. We do not want racist behaviours to spread. My message – a form of Equalities Traffic Control to all craft: Do not rise to it; do not listen to it; do not believe it. Instead, criticise it, fight against it and fight with us against it – for the next four years and beyond.
Author
Seema Manchanda
ARE Chair of the Trustees
