As the California wildfires continue to rage, politicians, mainly on the right, have been quick to assign blame for the thousands of acres already burned by the uncontained blaze.
As is the case with virtually every other hot-button issue these days, Republicans are pointing the finger at DEI programs. Elon Musk and podcaster Megyn Kelly are among those who’ve jumped on the anti-DEI bandwagon.
Far-right provocateur and podcaster Matt Walsh alleged on X that “Los Angeles deliberately set out to exclude white men from becoming firefighters, and now they don’t have enough firefighters to prevent their city from burning to the ground.”
“DEI is a cancer that destroys everything it touches,” Walsh wrote.
There is no evidence white firefighters were prevented from joining the vocation. But that’s not stopping MAGA-friendly commentators like CNN’s Scott Jennings from recycling that talking point. On Wednesday’s edition of “CNN Newsnight,” Jennings referenced a 2024 report about a California initiative aimed at increasing diversity among firefighters.
“There was some interest in the fire departments and the firefighters in California,” Jennings said. “And the interest was that there were too many white men who were firefighters. And we need to have a program in California to make sure we don’t have enough white men as firefighters.”
“We have DEI, we have budget cuts, and yet I’m wondering now if your house was burning down, how much do you care what color the firefighters are?” he asked.
Los Angeles County will be actively working to improve diversity within the County Fire Department after a policy package was passed by the County Board of Supervisors.
The initiative Jennings mentions was passed in 2023 by the LA County Board of Supervisors. It includes measures to ensure equitable hiring, create an inclusive workplace and establish benchmarks, data and accountability for its diversity initiatives.
KTLA-5 reported that the motion was written “in conjunction with the local firefighters’ union and groups that represent women and African Americans in the Fire Department.”
“This motion is a roadmap for how we are going to hire more women and people of color in the LA County Fire Department,” said Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Chair Janice Hahn. “That starts with breaking down barriers to becoming a firefighter, a paramedic, or a lifeguard, but also means addressing the reasons women and people of color leave the profession.”
How that eliminates white people from firefighting has yet to be explained.
Jasmine Crockett, a second-term congresswoman from Texas, fought back against Jennings’ claim, telling the former GOP operative, “What diversity, equity, and inclusion has always been about is saying, “You know what, open this up.”
“Don’t just look at the white men,” she continued. “Open it up and recognize that other people can be qualified.”
Crockett reminded the panel, “the same very people that built this country, ’cause the last time I checked, y’all didn’t say that anything was wrong with the White House. And I can promise you, it was my ancestors that built the White House.”
”So, listen, if we have been good enough to build this country, we are good enough to serve and die overseas, we are good enough to serve in other ways,” she said.
Meanwhile, many X users who lean politically right used the video clip to fling racist insults at Black women, while others just expressed their disdain for Crockett.
“I can’t even watch. She is infuriating!” one user wrote.
Conservatives took issue with that point, saying it was irrelevant to the argument.
“So should I thank her for her ancestors making the white house?” remarked one commenter on X. “Thank you. Next subject?”
But the truth is undeniable.
According to the White House Historical Association, “Enslaved laborers participated in every stage of building construction, from the quarrying and transportation of stone to the construction of the Executive Mansion. They worked alongside European craftsmen, white wage laborers, and other free African-American wage laborers.”
Crockett said people should be encouraged to work in the public sector, not dismissed as DEI hires who get a job solely due to their race.
“The fact is, stop trying to act as if only White men are the ones that are capable because right now, you’re sitting at a table with three very capable black women,” Crockett said.
As one user on X pointed out, now is not the time for politics.
“Regardless of what Crockett said, it’s just the principle that trying to make this disaster a DEI issue is insanely wrong!” said the commenter. “Using disaster for political gain is wrong. We need to stop the polarization from both sides.”
