How “DEI” Is The New “N-Word,” Attacks On Vice President Kamala Harris Explained

Source: The Washington Post / Getty

The term “DEI” is now being widely recognized as a substitute for the N-word to be used toward Black people, including Vice President Kamala Harris.

As Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign is up and running, the attacks directed toward her by Republican politicians and other right-wing figures have had one common phrase – DEI, which stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Many are noting that it is being used in place of the n-word slur to describe Harris and other Black individuals, as expressed by Democratic strategist Ameshia Cross. “You name a Black successful person, they’re labeled “a DEI hire”. America has awakened around what this is,” Cross told the CNN panel she was a part of on Tuesday night (July 23). “It is being used as a pseudonym for the n-word when we’re talking about black people.” Cross then referenced Dr. Claudine Gay of Harvard University as an example.

“I think there’s something to be said about a push to isolate women and minority groups,” Cross said. “You are attacking so many people that are not heterosexual white men under one umbrella and I don’t think Americans are going to settle for that.” The scrutiny comes as GOP leaders held a meeting on Tuesday to urge their congressional members to stay away from using race and gender to criticize Vice President Harris, with House Speaker Mike Johnson telling reporters after, “This should not be about personalities. It should be about policy.”

The meeting didn’t seem to prevent other Republican politicians from the usage of DEI in their attacks afterward, with Wyoming Representative Harriet Hageman targeting Vice President Harris later that day. “Well, I think she’s one of the weakest candidates I’ve ever seen in the history of our country,” Hageman told a reporter. “I mean, intellectually, just really kind of the bottom of the barrel.” She would add that she thought “she was a DEI hire, and I think that that’s what we’re seeing.”

When asked about @KamalaHarris candidacy, @HagemanforWY calls @VP a “DEI hire.”

“Intellectually, just really kind of the bottom of the barrel…I think she was a DEI hire. And I think that that’s what we’re seeing, and I just don’t think that they have anybody else.” pic.twitter.com/Dj9y4pKHrj

— Josh Rultenberg (@JoshRultNews) July 23, 2024

Tennessee Representative Tim Burchett had made a similar comment on Monday about Harris but wound up saying he “regrets” the comments. “Do I wish I’d said it? No, but it was the truth.”, he said in an interview with SiriusXM’s Laura Coates. Democratic representatives have floated the idea of censuring Burchett, which was confirmed by Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett. 

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