Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) has ordered an investigation into a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) consultant in response to a Forbes article about “decentering whiteness.”
The Forbes article, which is titled, “3 Ways To Transform Your Workplace To Be More Equitable,” was written by Janice Gassam Asare, who describes herself as the founder of “an award-winning DEI consultancy” named BWG Business Solutions. Asare’s business provides companies with training and consultation to “foster anti-racist and anti-oppressive environments” in various workplaces.
The article states, “White-centering can be thought of as a system that prioritizes white dominant culture to the detriment of non-white groups and cultures. White-centering has been given many names including the white gaze and whiteness as the default. Because white-centering is often left unexamined and unchecked, equity and justice have continued to evade organizations.”
After citing multiple studies on racism in the workplace and claiming that “whiteness” impacts all kinds of decisions in companies, Asare claimed, “The ways that whiteness is centered in the workplace are endless.” The DEI consultant then provided a list of ways for companies to begin the “process of actively decentering whiteness in the workplace” under the topics of education, objectivity, and accountability.
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In response to the Forbes article on “decentering whiteness,” Vance released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, blasting the outlet for publishing the article and announcing that his staff would be investigating the DEI consultant who wrote the piece.
“I’m just done with this sh-t. It’s racist and it’s gross. Forbes should be ashamed of themselves for publishing it,” the Ohio senator wrote. “The author is a ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ consultant. I’ve directed my staff to investigate whether her ‘business’ receives any public money from Ohio.”
Sharing Vance’s post on social media, Benny Johnson, a conservative social media personality, tweeted “Let’s investigate and refer for federal prosecution these obvious violations of the 1964 Civil Rights act which makes overt acts of institutional racism illegal in this country.”
2024 Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy also issued a statement regarding the article by Forbes, noting, “There’s no reverse racism, it’s just pure racism.”
