Artwork for podcast TonyTidbit: A Black Executive Perspective
Need to Know, with Dr. Nsenga Burton-DEI in Higher Education: The Unseen Consequences
Episode 159 • 1st August 2024 • TonyTidbit: A Black Executive Perspective • TonyTidbit ™
00:00:00 00:10:13

Share Episode

Shownotes

Episode Title:

Episode Audio Link: https://podcast.ablackexec.com/episode/Examining the Impacts of Abandoning DEI in Higher Education

Episode Video Link:

In this episode of 'Need to Know,' Dr. Nsenga Burton discusses the ongoing relevance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, particularly focusing on their impact within higher education institutions. Dr. Burton highlights the concerning trend where universities, following major corporations' lead like Zoom, discontinue scholarship programs for African American students. She emphasizes the misplaced preemptive actions driven by fear of conservative backlash and underscores the importance of true commitment to DEI.

The discussion touches on historical disenfranchisement, the critical role of inclusive educational environments, and the need for substantive, uncomfortable conversations about DEI to foster an equitable society.

▶︎ In This Episode

  1. 00:00: Introduction to Need to Know with Dr. Nsenga Burton
  2. 00:17: The Impact of DEI on Higher Education
  3. 00:47: Scholarship Programs and Historical Context
  4. 01:58: Preemptive Strikes Against DEI Initiatives
  5. 03:44: The Role of Major Corporations and Outsiders
  6. 04:40: Consequences of Avoiding Difficult Conversations
  7. 05:59: The Importance of Inclusive Education
  8. 07:58: Call to Action for DEI and Inclusive Society
  9. 09:27: Conclusion and Final Thoughts

🔗 Resources

Links and resources mentioned in this episode:

🔔 Listen and Subscribe

Listen to this episode and subscribe for future updates

subscribe to A Black Executive Perspective podcast on

if you like what we're doing and would like to support us, here's some ways you can help us continue the uncomfortable conversations that drive change

  1. subscribe to our newsletter
  2. give us up to a 5 star review on Apple Podcasts
  3. share an episode with a friend, family member or colleague


🗣️ Follow @ablackexec

follow us across social media @aBlackExec


⭐️ Follow @TonyTidbit

follow Tony across social media @TonyTidbit


This episode was produced by TonyTidbit ™ . Copyright © 2024 A BLACK EXECUTIVE PERSPECTIVE LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this podcast may be reproduced without prior written permission. For permissions, email podcast@ablackexec.com .

Transcripts

BEP Narrator:

A Black Executive Perspective now presents Need to Know

2

:

with the award winning hyphenated Dr.

3

:

Nsenga Burton.

4

:

Dr.

5

:

Burton.

6

:

What do we need to know?

7

:

Dr. Nsenga Burton: Hello, and

welcome to your need to know

8

:

moment with Nsenga Burton.

9

:

I am here today talking about DEI

again, because it is a trending

10

:

topic that just will not go away.

11

:

And today I want to talk

about DEI as it relates to

12

:

institutions of higher education.

13

:

Um, and what is happening with, you

know, what happens kind of like the,

14

:

the, uh, domino effect of, uh, what

happens when major corporations, uh,

15

:

like zoom and other corporations like

that, get rid of their initiatives.

16

:

Uh, what happens is other

institutions follow suit,

17

:

whether it makes sense or not.

18

:

So, for example, Duke University

is getting rid of its scholarship

19

:

programs for African American students.

20

:

Um.

21

:

And what's interesting about that is

that a lot of scholarship programs that

22

:

are set up, particularly when they're

for named individuals are, um, because,

23

:

um, you know, they are trying to help

students who might need more help.

24

:

Not that they're under educated, not

that they have lower grades, none of

25

:

those things, but because they have been

part of a historically disenfranchised

26

:

group that was previously banned

from attending said university.

27

:

Um, they put these

scholarships in place to help.

28

:

To help make sure to ensure that this

doesn't happen and to reward people for

29

:

being outstanding students, scholars,

um, you know, servants, public servants,

30

:

community servants, all of those things.

31

:

And.

32

:

You know, the idea that you can have a

whole basketball team that's black on

33

:

a full scholarship, but you can't have,

uh, black folks on academic scholarships

34

:

because it's, uh, um, it's, it's racist.

35

:

Is ridiculous so, um, when I think about

this, um, and this move, which you don't

36

:

have to do that, the Supreme Court has

not even said that you can't do it.

37

:

Right?

38

:

They're trying to have a kind

of preemptive preemptive strike

39

:

because they want to get in

front of all of this DEI stuff.

40

:

But I think what happens is when

you don't have a firm and a real

41

:

commitment to DEI and I've known

to have done that previously,

42

:

they did have a real commitment.

43

:

Um, they have a very active and

engaged black alumni association.

44

:

Um, they have amazing trailblazers

who gone there who've attended there

45

:

who have nothing to do with athletics.

46

:

Um, and so it really is painful

to see an institution like that.

47

:

Just fall over to the wayside.

48

:

So quickly and go down.

49

:

The route that is on the wrong side

of history, um, such that they feel

50

:

that they have to have a preemptive

strike against what they know is

51

:

coming from these white conservatives.

52

:

Um, and it was also interesting is

that instead of people thinking,

53

:

okay, how can we fight this?

54

:

In the same way that these people, you

know, I call them zealots who have really

55

:

no care for anybody who isn't white

male straight and all the things, right?

56

:

They don't want to share power.

57

:

They don't want to have

to compete for anything.

58

:

Um, they don't want to

have to share resources.

59

:

They don't even want you to have the

resource that you pay into, like,

60

:

social security or your pension.

61

:

Right?

62

:

They don't want you to have none of that.

63

:

Um, you know, why is the response

just to roll over and let's figure

64

:

out how not to get involved in this?

65

:

And how to make this, uh, open this

up to all the students when you

66

:

historically have been an institution

that was not open to all the students.

67

:

Particularly black students,

right brown students, and

68

:

especially immigrant students too.

69

:

Right?

70

:

So, you know, when you think about the,

and you think about what is happening

71

:

when these major corporations, right?

72

:

Threaten to pull out or even like a, uh.

73

:

Kraft the owner of the Patriots, because

he's such a great human being saying

74

:

that he's going to pull out because,

you know, if conversations don't

75

:

happen the way that he wants them to

happen around Palestine and Israel, the

76

:

conflict that he's going to pull out.

77

:

You know, all of these things are

tied together because when you don't

78

:

have a real commitment to when you

allow outsiders to come in and tell

79

:

you what you should be teaching and

what you should be doing, which you

80

:

should be studying when you allow

outsiders to come in and to stymie real

81

:

conversations that are difficult to have.

82

:

Right?

83

:

Because this is what all this is about.

84

:

Right?

85

:

The comfort ability of

those who've been in power.

86

:

Right?

87

:

So we don't want to have these

conversations because they're difficult.

88

:

It makes me feel uncomfortable.

89

:

Um, weird, it makes me feel uncomfortable.

90

:

So this is what happens when you

and this is this is the fallout that

91

:

happens when you don't have those

important conversations when you

92

:

allow outsiders to come in who have

other, um, goals and objectives.

93

:

Their goal and objective is not to

make sure that students get a complex.

94

:

Education where they're able to

deal with complicated issues that

95

:

are difficult and painful, um,

but they have to be dealt with.

96

:

So we don't repeat them again.

97

:

Right?

98

:

Um, when you let people come in and

determine what's important for your

99

:

institution, which you should be

discussing, which books you should

100

:

be reading, uh, and they're not even

there, even if they're alums, they

101

:

haven't been there in 30, 40, 50 years.

102

:

Then this is what happens.

103

:

You get people trying to stop people from

exercising their first amendment, right?

104

:

Which is to protest.

105

:

You get organizations that are like, Oh

my God, they're going to come after us.

106

:

So let's get rid of the scholarships now.

107

:

Oh my God, they're going to come after us.

108

:

So let's get rid of this class.

109

:

Oh my God, we were going to hire this

wonderful woman, Hannah Nicole, um,

110

:

And I'm having a brain fart on her

last name, but we're going to hire this

111

:

wonderful person at UNC Chapel Hill.

112

:

But oh no, we're going to rescind

the offer because, oh my gosh, she

113

:

might bring something up that's

going to be difficult for people to

114

:

take or to, to, to, uh, critique.

115

:

And that is the part that's

missing in academic education.

116

:

Institutions, they are places

of humanistic inquiry, right?

117

:

That means we discover and we explore

and we discuss all types and all

118

:

sides of various issues and what have

you, including diversity, equity, and

119

:

inclusion, including power, including war.

120

:

You know, it's common knowledge

that the only way to peace,

121

:

uh, is to go through conflict.

122

:

That's just how it happens.

123

:

You know, people do peace studies.

124

:

That's it, right?

125

:

So, When you don't have these real

discussions, when you try to put

126

:

your foot on the neck of people who

are willing to have these difficult

127

:

construct, uh, difficult discussions who

have done the heavy lifting, you know,

128

:

who have spent their academic lives.

129

:

I'm really exploring these

issues, living in these places,

130

:

reporting on these issues.

131

:

When you try to stop me

that that's what you get.

132

:

And so all of it is connected.

133

:

Right?

134

:

Um, and when you're not really

trying to stand up for education.

135

:

Um, when you're not really trying to

stand up for the need to include all

136

:

of the people who make up a society,

um, and when you're not trying to,

137

:

uh, ensure that people feel like they

belong, um, and not elevate the feelings

138

:

of a particular group over another.

139

:

Right?

140

:

Particularly those who have

been the most empowered, um,

141

:

particularly in this country.

142

:

Then this is what you get.

143

:

You get the protest, you get

things out of being out of control.

144

:

Um, you get people doing crazy things

that they don't even have to do.

145

:

Like, we're going to get rid

of the scholarship program.

146

:

We'll get rid of that.

147

:

Uh, that pipeline program.

148

:

That's going to be terrible.

149

:

It's going to be terrible to

have really exceptional qualified

150

:

students who are a students have

less student loans to pay back.

151

:

That's going to hurt them.

152

:

That's going to hurt.

153

:

Who's that hurting?

154

:

That's not hurting a white student, the

empowered white student who has money.

155

:

It's not hurting a poor

white student that has money.

156

:

In fact, it's going to probably help them

if we start thinking about class in the

157

:

same way we think about race and gender.

158

:

Right?

159

:

So I just wanted to say in part two of

my DEI that it will, until we really

160

:

start having these conversations,

until we really decide that it is

161

:

okay for you to be uncomfortable.

162

:

And some of these topics

will make you uncomfortable.

163

:

And we don't have to all agree.

164

:

On the topics, and it doesn't have

to be, you know, this is 1 side.

165

:

And the 2nd, the other side, it

could be like, 5 or 10 sides.

166

:

Like, it could be lots of discussion.

167

:

That is what education is for.

168

:

And when you allow people to make

DEI a dog whistle and make it a label

169

:

to malign and dehumanize instead of.

170

:

Standing up for what it really is

and what it really can do and the

171

:

great positive outcomes that have

come out of these DEI programs.

172

:

Um, then this is what you get.

173

:

So, I would encourage you to think more

deeply and thoughtfully about DEI to think

174

:

about the ways in which it impacts you to

think about the people, particularly those

175

:

who are historically disenfranchised and

to think about some possible solutions.

176

:

If in fact, DEI is going to go away.

177

:

So then what are we going to do with

all of these people of color who

178

:

are the majority, many of whom have

done what they are supposed to have

179

:

done as American citizens, including

get great grades so they can get

180

:

accepted to these wonderful schools.

181

:

But I'm sorry, you can't have a

scholarship because you're black.

182

:

And that might make a white student

who can afford to go here feel bad.

183

:

Like that is just not even acceptable.

184

:

So I would like for you all to just

think more critically about it.

185

:

I would like for you all to ask people

in charge to have real conversations,

186

:

moderated conversations by those who

are experts, but real conversations

187

:

around these issues, and to really

think about the ways in which we can be

188

:

a more inclusive and equitable society

189

:

that elevates everyone, not just those

who have been in power and continue

190

:

to be in power and to, Make the rules

as we go forward and that is your

191

:

need to know moment with Nsenga Burton

192

:

a black executive perspective

Chapters

Video

More from YouTube