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Dear Friend,
“Last week, in an address at Virginia Military Institute during its annual Inclusive Excellence training, Martin Brown, the Chief Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion Officer for the Commonwealth of Virginia, declared that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is ‘dead.’ Chief Brown said, ‘We’re not going to bring that cow up anymore. It’s dead….’” -Roanoke Star, 5.2.23
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was established by the Virginia General Assembly, and its Chief Officer has clear mandates for the roles and responsibilities of that office. This governor has appointed an individual who declared that his own office is “dead.”
Well, it’s not up to Mr. Brown to decide whether or not his office is a “dead cow.” The Code of Virginia outlines that he “ shall (i) develop a sustainable framework to promote inclusive practices across state government; (ii) implement a measurable, strategic plan to address systemic inequities in state government practices; and (iii) facilitate methods to turn feedback and suggestions from state employees, external stakeholders, and community leaders into concrete equity policy.”
If Mr. Brown does not want to do his job, then the governor has a fundamental responsibility to remove him from his position. Virginia taxpayers are paying his salary of $160,000.
If you share my frustration that the governor and his appointees don’t care about established law and think that they can simply sidestep the General Assembly, then I ask for your help.
I promise you that I will continue to hold the governor and his administration accountable on the issues of equity and justice, on education, on the environment, on gun safety, women’s reproductive health, and so much more. And I know that my Republican opponent will simply do the bidding of the governor—as his Republican colleagues already do—rather than work effectively within the legislature as a co-equal branch of government.
So, please, give what you can.
$5, $10, $20 so we can have an administration, a governor and appointees who will follow the law and lead. [[link removed]]
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Let’s work together to have a Commonwealth we can all be proud of. A Commonwealth in which we truly value the richness of our diversity, build inclusive values, and work to ensure equitable opportunities for everyone. If Mr. Brown rejects the entire foundational values of his own office, he should find another job.
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Friends of Ghazala Hashmi
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