Philadelphia is a majority minority city, meaning its largest population demographic is considered a racial minority in the United States. Representing approximately 39% of the city’s population, black Americans are the city’s largest ethnic group (while being less than 13% of the national population). White Americans are the second-largest group in Philadelphia, comprising 33.6% of the city’s population (and the country’s largest racial demographic at approximately 60% of the country’s population). Asians are next at 7.7%, followed by Latinos at 7.67% of the city’s population. Added together, there are more racial minorities living in Philadelphia than white people.
Yet, despite more than half the city’s population being comprised of non-white people, it was Philadelphia’s policy and practice to discriminate against white business owners, particularly white male business owners. As the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, Philadelphia’s government “set specific goals” to award 35% of “hundreds of millions of dollars in yearly government contracts to businesses that are owned by women and people of color.” These funds were set aside for “minority, women, or disabled-owned enterprises.” The 35% threshold was implemented in 2016; it used to be 25%, put into effect over four decades ago, “in the early 1980s.”
Now, imagine the uproar, rage, hostility, and claims of racial discrimination if this policy reserved 35% of city contracts for white people, or, specifically, white men. And people have the audacity to talk about white privilege in this country? What privilege? Being denied contract opportunities solely because of their white skin color? Racial discrimination is racial discrimination even if the recipient is a white person. It’s a simple concept, yet one that much of the country has difficulty recognizing.
Fortunately, this “practice is no more,” the Inquirer reported. And it’s primarily due to the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate the country’s toxic DEI programs. Going into effect in the fall, the Inquirer claimed that DEI and affirmative action initiatives in the city are being scrapped due to a “national and political backlash.” And much, if not all, of this is due to the Trump administration’s executive order issued on the first day of his second term on Jan. 20, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing.”
Thankfully, the Trump administration has common sense and opposes government-sanctioned racial discrimination. In his directive, Trump labeled DEI programs “demonstrated immense public waste and shameful discrimination. That ends today.”
“Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect, and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making America great,” read Trump’s executive order.
Any DEI or race-based priority initiatives are programs that — as the above Philadelphia program revealed — encourage the wanton discrimination of white people, particularly white men. It’s indicative of the corrosive societal rot that DEI facilitates. There’s nothing equitable about prioritizing one person’s skin color or ethnicity over another. That’s the textbook definition of prejudice and discrimination. Yet, because it was happening to white people, this racism was deemed permissible, if not even outright encouraged.
And, despite left-wing, liberal, and Democratic thinking to the contrary, racial discrimination against white people is still actually discrimination. For some reason, people have reservations about admitting this. Or, decades of left-wing-induced societal indoctrination have resulted in the acceptance and tolerance of bigotry against white men. Regardless, it should never be acceptable. Withholding 35% of government contracts solely because of one’s white skin color is an abhorrent form of prejudice, bigotry, racism, and discrimination.
I have my suspicions about whether the execution of this policy reversal will yield different results than the public recognition of it. Nevertheless, it is an important step toward a real racial reckoning and undoing the decades of damage the Left has created with its socio-political discriminatory policies. Philadelphia’s policy should never have been approved, let alone existed for over four decades.
FROM ‘LEVERAGE’ TO LIES, DEMOCRATS WERE ALWAYS RESPONSIBLE FOR SHUTDOWN SUFFERING
Incidentally, the city initiative replacing the old anti-white male business owner program is allegedly designed to incentivize “small and local businesses” in Philadelphia.
“The goal of the revised program is to create an environment in which all businesses can thrive and contribute to the local economy, said Philadelphia Solicitor Renee Garcia.
Interesting, because creating an “environment in which all businesses can thrive and contribute to the local economy” should have been the objective and policy all along.
