A diversity, equity and inclusion boss is facing a state investigation over an article she wrote in Forbes about “decentering whiteness” in the workplace.
Janice Gassam Asare was labeled “racist” by Republican Senator JD Vance for the piece. The congresswoman has now ordered an investigation into whether Asar and her consultant, BWG Business Solutions, ever received money from Ohio taxpayers.
In the Forbes article, Asare explores dismantling systems that prioritize white dominant culture to create a more “inclusive” workplace for people of color.
She defines “white-centering” as a phenomenon that elevates white culture at the expense of non-white groups, contributing to inequality and injustice within organizations.
“It has been called many names, including the white gaze and whiteness as the default,” she said. “Because white-centering often goes unexamined and unchecked, equality and justice have continued to elude organizations.”
Janice Z. Gassam Asare, PhD and chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, is under fire and under investigation in Ohio after she was labeled a “racist” for writing a Forbes article about “decentering whiteness ‘ in the workplace
Vance strongly condemned the article, calling it racist and criticizing Forbes for publishing it.
“I’m just done with this s—. It’s racist and it’s disgusting. Forbes should be ashamed that they published it,” he wrote. ‘The author is a ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ consultant. “I have instructed my staff to investigate whether her ‘company’ is receiving Ohio government funds.”
In response, Asare claimed that Vance misunderstood the concept of “decentering whiteness” and offered to provide further clarification through her book on the subject.
Vance, among many others, condemned the content and launched an investigation into Asare and whether her organization receives funding from Ohio.
Others on
Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy also chimed in, arguing against the idea of ”decentering whiteness” by suggesting it is tantamount to firing white individuals.
He called it “racism without the possibility of reverse racism.”
Another noted, “Abolition of DEI should be part of the anti-communist manifesto.”
“Written by a DEI consultant so of course it’s going to be racist against white people,” read another comment.
A third user commented: ‘Why is racism against white people okay? Please explain.”
Asare told Fox that Vance had “no idea” what he was talking about.
“I would say this: It’s clear that the senator has no idea what decentering whiteness actually means and how it’s about the system of whiteness and not about one white person or white people,” she told Fox News Digital.
“I explain what decentralizing whiteness in the workplace means in my book of the same name, which I am happy to send to the senator or anyone else who is confused.”
An analysis of the earnings figures of U.S. publicly traded companies found that companies seemed to finally be reaching the conclusion that waking up could mean going bankrupt – or at least seeing their stock price fall to uncomfortable levels.
Many companies’ diversity, equality and inclusion departments have been scaled back or eliminated altogether. Top companies rushed to fund and build them in the wake of the May 2020 killing of George Floyd and the wave of racial justice protests that followed.
An analysis of earnings calls has shown a sudden and rapid decline when it comes to companies mentioning the terms “diversity, equity and inclusion,” “green and social initiatives,” and “sustainability” in quarterly investor calls.
Through the start of the first quarter of 2022, there were almost a thousand mentions of such causes in the earnings calls.
In the second quarter of 2023, in the space of fifteen months, the number appears to have almost halved, with 575 mentions of these waking terms.
According to The Wall Street Journal, there was a 31 percent decline in the number of wake-up calls during earnings calls in the most recent quarter, compared to the same earnings period last year.