Andy Larsen’s excellent article about DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programs, certain of the research surrounding them, and their raison d’etre, lacks the one thing that would make it truly beneficial: a Utah populace that, in the main, gives a positive fig about diversity and inclusion.
But at least since The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) banned Blacks from holding the LDS priesthood (Prophet Brigham Young proclaiming in 1852, “In the kingdom of God on the earth, a man who has African blood in him cannot hold one jot nor title of priesthood…”), Utahns have shunned diversity.
In order to support Donald Trump, as close to a self-proclaimed racist as a person can be without saying aloud “I am a proud racist,” one must have decided that, in decisions about leadership choices, racism doesn’t matter.
Utah overwhelmingly favors Trump, meaning it would be passing strange to find a warm welcome here for anything having so much as the scent of DEI.
I sincerely wish it was not the Utah way, but it is certainly one of them.
Thomas Walker, Salt Lake City
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