The following is a letter to the editor from Rhino Times reader Nicky Smith, a candidate for Greensboro City Council District 4
Is It Time for Greensboro to Rethink DEI? Balancing Equity, Merit, and Federal Compliance
The recent actions taken by High Point University (HPU) to ban, then reverse course on, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) language in response to federal funding threats have reignited a critical discussion: Is DEI achieving its intended goals, or has it become a barrier to hiring the most qualified individuals? Greensboro should take note of this debate and consider reassessing its own DEI initiatives.
HPU swiftly removed nearly 50 DEI-related terms, fearing that failure to comply with federal directives could jeopardize millions in funding. The university’s decision, though later softened, underscores a broader issue—many institutions and organizations nationwide are beginning to reconsider whether DEI policies are truly fostering fairness or inadvertently creating new disparities.
The City of Greensboro has long embraced DEI initiatives, aiming to promote inclusion and equitable opportunities. While the initial intention of DEI policies was to level the playing field, their modern-day implementation often raises concerns about whether they prioritize identity over merit. When DEI strategies result in quotas or preferences that overlook the most capable candidates, it is time to ask: Are we solving past injustices or creating new ones?
Furthermore, federal scrutiny on DEI is increasing, with government agencies signaling potential consequences for entities that maintain such programs. Greensboro must evaluate whether its DEI positions and policies put the city at risk of losing crucial funding. With cities and institutions across the country reassessing their approaches, now is the time for Greensboro’s leadership to take a hard look at its own DEI programs.
Does DEI still serve its intended purpose, or has it evolved into something counterproductive? Greensboro cannot afford to wait until it is forced into action by federal mandates or funding cuts. A proactive and transparent evaluation of DEI policies will ensure hiring decisions are based on qualifications, merit, and the city’s long-term success.
As this national conversation unfolds, Greensboro should lead by example—focusing on fairness, opportunity, and the best interests of all its citizens rather than clinging to policies that may no longer serve their original purpose.
Nicky Smith, Candidate for Greensboro City Council District 4
I came to believe most DEI programs are ineffective for purpose but do we have any real evidence they led to hiring unqualified people? I understand there were studies that showed negative impact of affirmative action in college admissions but have not seen any of the same in hiring programs.
The evidence lies in the numbers. If the NBA had to hire a specified number of females to play the quality of the game would instantly go down. Once you start requiring demographics over qualifications, quality automatically suffers. It’s an extreme but easy example and a clear demonstration of why DEI lowers quality. Similarly, if the NBA suddenly said we have to have 50% white males, there are not enough highly skilled white male basketball players out there to satisfy that need. If there were, the league would already be 50/50. In fact, the NBA and most sports are good examples of meritocracy at work. Only the best players get to play and we get high quality entertainment as a result. And yeah, most of them are black males, but they have earned their place through merit.
If in a certain area, a specific group makes up 10% of the total population, but DEI requires a 50% representation at the business (or any number above 10%), then you automatically have to start hitting lower qualified people in the smaller group because there aren’t as many highly qualified people to pull from in the smaller group. Pretty basic math dude.
Irrefutable reasoning… but our Village Idiot will probably twist, distort, obfuscate, and irritate.
Keep dreaming. Greensboro is still sitting at Skip’s International lunch counter. DEI and pet projects will never die in Greensboro or Guilford County.
* “DEI”, “Affirmative Action”, “Positive Discrimination”… whatever. It’s all just a way to discriminate against normal, heterosexual white males who have built the modern world as we know it.
Envy and spite manifest themselves in many ways. Leftists are drawn to their beliefs by their personalities. Or as my father used to say, “Socialism is just a rationalization for envy”.
Austin playing the ‘I am poor white guy’ victim BS again. Yawn. Surprised you didn’t try to bring back up your white nationalist talking point that people from Africa (black people) are genetically less intelligent than Europeans (white people) again.
* Envy and spite manifest themselves particularly well in you.
Racism and bigotry manifesting themselves particularly well in you. Sad really.
No bigotry in my heart. Sorry.
And acknowledging the differences between the races does not make you a racist, any more than acknowledging the differences between the sexes makes you a sexist.
Sad you can’t understand this.
E Pluribus Unum: out of many one, is a motto our founding fathers adopted to express their belief in the value of diversity, equity and inclusion. This sentiment is echoed in the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, one of our most cherished national treasures. Every US citizen has a right to contribute to our society and pursue their own happiness despite the setbacks they may have suffered from generations of systemic racism, or gender and homophobic discrimination.
Who really is to say who is the most qualified? Who sets that standard? Oh yeah, the old white guys. Stop trying to hide your racism behind “anti-wokeness.” Nobody is buying it except the other old white guys.
Your character assassination of old white guys is the only bigotry on display here.
Says the old white guy. LMAO
The old white guy who is openly bigoted towards the LGBTQ community and is fighting hard in the Rhino Times comment section to make the case that Africans (ie African Americans) are genetically less intelligent that other races.
Yup. Fits.
I have no idea what you’re talking about regarding MGBGTs.
And I’m not old – but you are unhinged. Your anger is showing, Chrissy. Let go of your fixation with me; it’s not healthy.
Or see a shrink.
You need help.