On Thursday’s broadcast of “CNN This Morning,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin stated that there aren’t any areas where DEI has gone too far and “there’s no such thing as going too far when we talk about equity and inclusion.”
Host Kasie Hunt asked, [relevant remarks begin around 27:40] “Sir, do you think there are any areas where DEI programs have gone too far?”
Woodfin answered, “I do not believe that’s the case. Look, we’ve made the words diversity, we’ve made the words equity, we — as in others — have made those words, inclusion, backwards. Inclusion is not a bad thing. There is no such thing as going too far as it relates to being inclusive. There’s no such thing as going too far as it relates to equity. This is America. Equity is the right thing to do. There’s no such thing as diversity being bad. America is a very diverse place. I think diversity, equity, and inclusion has been weaponized for some to use to say it’s taking away from others, but what it’s really doing is making sure we’re intentional, whether it’s at the federal level, the state level, colleges and universities level, corporate America level, that there’s parity. And we’ve been talking about this for quite some time. And so, no, there’s no such thing as going too far when we talk about equity and inclusion.”
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