President Donald Trump’s battle against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs remains relentless. While many express concerns over efforts to dismantle DEI, U.S. Representative Clay Higgins (R-La.) has argued that such initiatives constitute “oppression” against white people.
During a House Oversight Committee meeting discussing the Dismantle DEI bill, proposed by Rep. Michael Cloud (R-Texas), Higgins repeatedly referred to DEI policies as a form of oppression. His remarks quickly drew a sharp response from Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas).
“It seems like you don’t understand the definition of oppression, and I’d ask you to just refer to Google to help you out,” Crockett said. She went on to clarify the historical and contextual meaning of oppression by citing America’s legacy of slavery.
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“There has been no oppression for the white man in this country,” she asserted. “You tell me which white men were dragged out of their homes, forced across an ocean, and enslaved. Which of them had their wives stolen or raped? That didn’t happen. That is oppression.”
Crockett also criticized Republican-led efforts to erase Black history from school curricula, arguing that such actions enable the misuse of terms like “oppression.” She contrasted the experiences of Black Americans—who were forcibly brought to the U.S. through slavery—with voluntary immigration.
“We didn’t run away from home,” she said. “We were stolen.”
Shortly after being sworn in following his victory in the 2024 U.S. election, President Trump signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to eliminate “illegal preferences and discrimination” in government. The order also called on the private sector to end what it described as “illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI.”
In response, major corporations such as Google, McDonald’s, Target, Walmart, Amazon, and Tractor Supply have begun scaling back or eliminating their DEI programs.
Despite criticism, the Trump administration remains steadfast in its campaign against DEI.
In a recent episode of The BreakDown, a news analysis program on PanaGenius TV, Sandra Babu-Boateng examined the controversy surrounding DEI. She questioned what aspects of DEI critics oppose—whether it’s diversity, equity, or inclusion—and argued that the principles of DEI are fundamentally beneficial to society.
Referencing a Brookings Institute report projecting that the United States will become a “minority-white” nation by 2045—driven primarily by increased immigration and a growing youthful minority population—Babu-Boateng hinted that this may explain the Trump administration’s aggressive stance on immigration, DEI, birthright citizenship, and related policies.
Sandra Babu-Boateng has more to say on The BreakDown—watch the full episode below.
READ ALSO: Black Americans advised to boycott companies that abandon DEI programs
