MSNBC’s Joy Reid and her Wednesday guest, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees Everett Kelley, think you are stupid. On The ReidOut, the duo reacted to President Donald Trump ordering the end of DEI offices across the federal government by claiming such moves represent an attack on “disabled veterans.”
Reid began by wondering, “This memo, we can put it up on screen, and it went to all heads and acting heads of departments and agencies, shuttering DEI offices and other things. What is the union's response going to be?”
Kelley began by claiming, “We have an obligation to educate the public as to what DEI really is because, number one, it's not affirmative action as some might think.”
He added that “DEI is about making sure that, say, a veteran may have a handicap, an injury from the services, and come to work for the federal government. DEI would make sure that that veteran has the, I guess, I would say the opportunity to work in a job, and they were placed in a position where they could accommodate that veteran and so that they can do their job. So, DEI is about that and about providing services for workers. It's not about the color of a person's skin.”
Nobody believes that. You can’t spend years claiming that equity is about fixing systemic racism, which you define as overcoming “unconscious bias” and the existence of any statistical difference between white people and non-white people and then claim that DEI is a patriotic program to help those who were injured in the service of their country when people reject it.
Still, Reid followed up, “And it's not a quota program. Let's just be clear... I think for a lot of conservatives, they believe DEI just means black people getting jobs, and so when they see a black person in any job, they say, ‘Oh, that person's a DEI hire.’ They said it about the literal elected vice president of the United States. They said it about the literal elected vice president of the United States. She wasn't hired. She was hired by the American people. Eighty million Americans voted and voted for her, but they can't see through her race and gender. So, it isn't just about hiring black people and women, right?”
Joe Biden explicitly promised to name a woman as his running mate, so if Reid should be mad at anyone for only seeing Kamala Harris’s gender, it’s him.
Nevertheless, Reid kept going, “It's about disabled veterans being accommodated. It's veterans returning from wars are also under DEI.”
Kelley echoed the idea, “Absolutely. And I see that as a veteran myself. Right. I see this initiative as a direct impact and attack on veterans. Of the 2.2 million federal workers, 642,000 of those are veterans, and so this is in my way of viewing this, is a direct attack against veterans as well. You know, the misunderstanding of what DEI really is. You know, it's on us to really educate the public as to what it really is all about.”
It’s funny how during all the previous DEI discussions, nobody ever brought up disabled veterans, but now that it's under threat, a new talking point has emerged.
Here is a transcript for the January 22 show:
MSNBC The Reid
1/22/2025
7:21 PM ET
JOY REID: This memo, we can put it up on screen, and it went to all heads and acting heads of departments and agencies, shuttering DEI offices and other things. What is the union's response going to be?
EVERETT KELLEY: Well, first of all, I think that we have an obligation to educate the public as to what DEI really is because, number one, it's not affirmative action as some might think. DEI is about making sure that, say, a veteran may have a handicap, an injury from the services, and come to work for the federal government. DEI would make sure that that veteran has the, I guess, I would say the opportunity to work in a job, and they were placed in a position where they could accommodate that veteran and so that they can do their job. So, DEI is about that and about providing services for workers. It's not about the color of a person's skin.
REID: And it's not a quota program. Let's just be clear.
KELLEY: Absolutely.
REID: It means that you know not and it also I think for a lot of conservatives—
KELLEY: Okay.
REID: -- they believe DEI just means black people getting jobs, and so when they see a black person in any job, they say, “Oh, that person's a DEI hire.” They said it about the literal elected vice president of the United States.
KELLEY: Absolutely
REID: She wasn't hired. She was hired by the American people. Eighty million Americans voted and voted for her, but they can't see through her race and gender. So, it isn't just about hiring black people and women, right?
KELLEY: That's right.
REID: It's about disabled veterans being accommodated. It's veterans returning from wars are also under DEI.
KELLEY: Absolutely. And I see that as a veteran myself. Right. I see this initiative as a direct impact and attack on veterans. Of the 2.2 million federal workers, 642,000 of those are veterans, and so this is in my way of viewing this, is a direct attack against veterans as well. You know, the misunderstanding of what DEI really is. You know, it's on us to really educate the public as to what it really is all about.
