President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Friday that ensures that every part of the federal government will conduct race-conscious diversity training and engage in race-conscious hiring.
The executive order “establishes an ambitious, whole-of-government initiative that will take a systematic approach to embedding DEIA [diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility] in Federal hiring and employment practices,” according to a White House fact sheet. In practice, it will ensure that federal agencies employ tenets associated with Critical Race Theory (CRT) within their hiring practices and day-to-day activities.
CRT holds that America is fundamentally racist, yet it teaches people to view every social interaction and person in terms of race. Its adherents pursue “antiracism” through the end of merit, objective truth and the adoption of race-based policies.
The executive order directs federal agencies to “develop strategic plans to eliminate any barriers to success faced by under-served employees.” This will be felt through federal hiring, which will prioritize “communities that have historically faced employment discrimination and professional barriers, including people of color, women, first-generation professionals and immigrants, individuals with disabilities, [and] LGBTQ+ individuals.”
Other designated groups to be prioritized in hiring include “Americans who live in rural areas, older Americans who face age discrimination when seeking employment, parents and caregivers who face employment barriers, people of faith who require religious accommodations at work, individuals who were formerly incarcerated, and...