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DEI Rollbacks and Corporate Hypocrisy: Dr. Nsenga Burton Weighs In
Episode 194 • 12th December 2024 • TonyTidbit: A Black Executive Perspective • TonyTidbit ™
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Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/DEI Rollbacks and Corporate Hypocrisy: Dr. Nsenga Burton Weighs In

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In this episode of 'Need to Know' presented by A Black Executive Perspective, Dr. Nsenga Burton discusses the recent rollbacks in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives by corporations like Walmart. Dr. Burton critiques the performative nature of corporate responses to social justice issues and highlights the economic and social disparities that persist despite these policies. She emphasizes the importance of voting with dollars and staying informed about corporate practices. Tune in for an insightful and empowering discussion on navigating the realities of workplace discrimination and the broader implications for marginalized communities.

▶︎ In This Episode

00:00: Introduction to Need to Know

00:13: DEI Rollbacks and Walmart's Hypocrisy

02:30: Challenges Faced by Black Professionals

03:40: The Reality of DEI Policies

06:03: Call to Action: Vote with Your Dollars

07:39: Final Thoughts and Encouragement

08:43: Conclusion and Next Episode Preview

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Transcripts

BEP Narrator:

A Black Executive Perspective now presents Need to Know

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with the award winning hyphenated Dr.

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Nsenga Burton.

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Dr.

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Burton.

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What do we need to know?

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Dr. Nsenga Burton: Today we're going to

talk about these, um, DEI rollbacks that

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people, speaking of rollbacks, ha ha

ha, Walmart, you see what I did there?

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Um, these DEI rollbacks that have been

happening and people, uh, are really

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up in arms about them and, um, you

know, are doing all kinds of things,

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which I agree with, you know, sometimes

when you voted the polls, you don't

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feel like it matters, but when you

vote with your dollars, sometimes you

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can get a little bit further, faster.

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So, the most recent, um, victim,

I'll call Walmart the victim,

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because we are not, is Walmart.

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Walmart has had a long history of, um,

I'm having, uh, at best problematic

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relationships with the communities.

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They serve a large population.

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They are the nation's largest employer,

but they also have the largest number

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of employees on public assistance.

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So, while they tout conservative politics,

their business practices don't align

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with, you know, what conservatives.

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Pretend to pretend happens when

you, um, cut off, um, people from

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resources that will help them live.

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Right?

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So, you know, they don't

corporations don't pay more.

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They don't, uh, elevate their employees.

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They don't give them more stock options,

all the things that they say will happen.

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If you stop giving people free lunch,

if you stop giving people wic, and if

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you make people get jobs, Um, and if

you give the corporations tax cuts,

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they pass them on to, uh, the consumers.

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That is all hogwash.

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It's been proven hogwash.

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I am not an economist.

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I will say that, but I will say that

Walmart is the greatest example of

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the hypocrisy of this democracy.

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And so now after they pretended that they

gave a damn after George Floyd, like a

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lot of other companies, it was really

pretending like it was performative.

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Right, they're performing because,

you know, they could have done

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it all along and they've done,

you know, scholarships and funded

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different types of cultural things.

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That's what corporations

like to do, right?

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That's why they have their community

affairs, external affairs, you know,

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ways in which people figure out

how you can use the corporations

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resources to help the community.

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So, you know, those things exist, but when

you have a company that goes on record to

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say, I'm going to roll back all of these

things, I'm not going to have these, um.

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Things in place when they align themselves

with people who call any person of color,

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especially a black personDEI Hire, knowing

nothing about them, not even understanding

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how accomplished like a Westmore is,

um, you know, just blatant racism.

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Like, you know, Tony is black thus

and so he had to be a DEI hire

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he couldn't have been accomplished,

but what we know people of color.

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Um, I would probably in general

black people specifically.

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I'm black.

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I know I keep getting, uh, you

know, little text messages emails.

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DMS.

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I'm a black girl from Virginia

many, many generations.

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So I'm an American and

we're not going anywhere.

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Yeah, landowner too.

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So, um, my point is, um, black

people already understood, like, you

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know, it says, oh, you have to be

twice as good to get half as far.

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It's actually higher than that.

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You gotta be perfect to get the

interview to be passed over.

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So.

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You know, we don't go in

there like, Oh, I'm black.

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I am going to get hooked up today.

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I'm no, I'm gonna get

this job cause I'm black.

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I'm a woman.

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Listen, this is it.

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I'm a kill it.

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And they don't give it to me.

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Uh, no, that doesn't happen.

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I'm not, I'm be, Horrible.

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I'm not gonna happen.

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What happens is we have like these resumes

like black women most educated people in

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the country Yeah, we have these like like

resumes like pages of stuff experience

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leadership all the things whatever and

what typically happens is people go

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through that and they look for that one

thing that they're looking for in the

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duties and Responsibilities that you

don't have and they ignore all the other

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things that you do have and they say oh,

I'm so sorry Nsenga, I'm so sorry Tony

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We need somebody who really does this

well, and you don't have this experience.

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So we're just not going

to let you do that.

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And see, they don't really understand

that, you know, as they hire their

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friends who have no qualifications,

they might have only 1 thing that they

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have where they're like, well, you know.

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You know, Biff he can

learn all the other stuff.

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He's like a bright guy.

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He can learn it.

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So I'm just, let's just give him a chance.

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You know, it's a probationary period.

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What's the worst that can happen?

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Um, so we don't get the

probationary periods.

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What's the worst that can happen?

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We don't get that.

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Um, so.

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You can, like, just go ahead and

calm down about the, you know, the

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was so that you would legally give

us an opportunity to compete now.

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There isn't that.

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So we will just go back to business

as normal being outstanding and

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being discriminated against because

that is what you signed up for with

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this particular administration.

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Thus and so, corporations

are now following suit.

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Like, whoo!

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I don't have to interview black people.

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Thank the Lord.

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Oh, I'm so sick of seeing them.

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I don't know who's gonna work in

these Walmarts, but let me see.

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Whoo, I don't have to give

interviews to Latinos.

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Yes, I can't wait for my white

brethren to come and take these

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jobs that they want so much.

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Um, yeah, so they can just go back to

doing what they have historically done

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and with the, the data even showed they

continue to do as they worked, found what

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we call workarounds, uh, DEI policies.

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Um, that they had in place, so you all

can, if you can show me some data, which

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you can't of where affirmative action

or policies have completely changed

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the look and feel of a corporation,

like, I mean, Ford getting rid of the

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DEI like, seriously, Jack Daniels.

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We have Uncle Nearest and you

can thank Uncle Nearest for

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your recipe, Jack Daniels.

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Like, Jack Daniels was like

working with Uncle Nearest.

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Like, you all can't even look

at your story and see how you

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can use it to support diversity.

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There would be no Jack

Daniels without Nearest Green.

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Whatever I can't do all the thinking

all the time for all the people.

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So I just say this don't fret just

take note vote with your dollars.

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You know, if you were shopping at

Walmart, um, you know, you don't

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have to you can if you want to.

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Nobody's going to judge you.

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Nothing is going to change.

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You know, changes is slow, but it

is sure so it'll come back around.

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Um, and, you know, when it does, it will,

and, you know, for 5 minutes, people

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will act like they give a damn about the

most marginalized groups in the country.

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And then when it is no longer

beneficial, or they find a.

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Or, uh, uh, someone who will say the

things that they've been thinking in and

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wanting to say, but haven't because they

want to keep their little, uh, job or keep

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their status in the church or do whatever,

then they can be emboldened to say that.

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So, just take notes, like the companies.

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All right, we can do that.

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We don't have to spend

our money at those places.

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Also take notes about what people are

saying and doing and who they are.

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And as my Angelou, Dr Maya,

Angelou told us, uh, as Dr

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Maya, Angelou told us, uh, uh,

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I'm getting 2 of them confused.

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Hold on.

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As my Dr.

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Maya, Angelou told us, um.

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In so many words, people will show you

who they are and remember who they are.

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Right?

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They remember who they are.

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The 1st time is something like that.

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You will correct me in the comments.

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I'm sure.

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But remember who they are.

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Remember who they are.

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And then the last thing with this too.

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This period of time is going

to be very interesting.

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They're going to be lots

of, uh, people breaking up.

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It'd be couples.

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They're going to be, um,

people leaving churches.

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There's going to be a

lot of stuff happening.

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Um, but there's always an opportunity

for new and amazing things.

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So I just want you to

just keep hope alive.

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You know, when one door

closes, another door opens.

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Windows open and it gives you the

opportunity to really create and to

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think differently about what you want

your life to look like um, so that's it

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and I just wanted to put to rest that

little Pesky rumor that people of color

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in general black people specifically

were relying on those dei policies for

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jobs Yeah, we're just relying on them for

interviews that you would then just use

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to collect data and do nothing with Um,

and then choosing who you really wanted

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anyway, um and pretending that we weren't

here Cause you know, you didn't see us.

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Uh, you don't see us, but we see us

and, uh, we know we're capable of and

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we'll continue to thrive with or without

policies or laws that, uh, are in place.

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So without further ado, tune in next week

to a black executive perspective podcast.

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I will see you then.

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This is me to know with Dr.

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Nsenga Burton.

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Toodles!

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BEP Narrator: A

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