My father loved to tell us this “joke”.  A Black man in the south was crossing the street with the walk signal and was run over by a White man. The force of the collision threw the man into and through the windshield of the White man’s car. The police were called and upon arrival on the scene ticketed the Black for “breaking and entering.” He would always end with, “Negro can’t win for losing.” As I recalled this joke, I realized not much has changed—we still “can’t win for losing.”

In the spirit of full disclosure, I was not a fan of the DEI eyewash Corporations used to appear progressive. However, recently there has been a lot of chatter about DEI being the cause of everything from LA wildfires to the tragic mid-air accident in DC. The not-so-subtle point attempting to be made is that hiring a diverse workforce is dangerous. For many, anyone hired who is not a so-called ‘white male’ is incompetent and /or a risk to public safety. This mentality clearly reflects the thinking of someone ‘stuck on stupid’. According to my research, “meritocracy is a social system or philosophy that emphasizes the role of individual ability and talent as the primary criteria for advancement and success, rather than factors like wealth, social status, or personal connections. In a meritocratic system, people are rewarded based on their skills, efforts, and achievements.”

Given the above definition, I would argue that true meritocracy in America is difficult, if not impossible, to achieve due to systemic inequalities, biases, and barriers that can prevent individuals from demonstrating their merit. Case in point would be the decades that Blacks were not permitted to compete not only in professional baseball, as well as professional/collegiate basketball or football. If an entire group of people are denied the right to compete then how the hell can they show their merit? Even before the socially sanctioned system of Jim Crow, enslaved Blacks trapped in inhuman conditions were not allowed to learn to read. Southern plantations were not the tranquil places where the Masters drank mint julep tea on the spacious front porches and the happy ‘darkies’ dance, sang and entertained. No, plantations were more like concentration camps experiencing similar inhumane conditions as those innocent Jews confined to Dachau or Auschwitz.

What interesting about the recent kerfuffle around DEI is that it is consistent with the far right’s need to weaponize and oppose anything that suggest Blacks and other alienated groups might benefit from—if implemented. While these impacted groups are strenuously blocked from opportunities to display their skills and abilities; they are assumed to be inferior and incompetent because of skin color, gender or personal lifestyles. The fact of the matter is that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion [DEI] principles are beneficial for the entire workforce. As a young HR professional, I was instructed that our primary obligation was to Attract, Develop and Retain [ADR] talented individuals. Any HR professional recognizes that they are in a War for Talent. As such, we must cast a wide net in our search for talent. What we do know is that to win in this war for talent, we must find diverse talent to prosecute the organizations strategic objectives (diversity); we must insure prospective employees that they have ‘skin in the game’, i.e., equity; and that not only are they invited (hired) to the party but are asked to dance (inclusion).

So, in closing, based on my search of the literature, some of the key features of meritocracy needed to create a level playing field include:

1. Fair Competition: Opportunities are made available for all individuals to compete based on their abilities
2. Equality of Opportunity: Ideally, meritocracy promotes the idea that everyone should have an equal chance to succeed, regardless of their background.
3. Recognition of Talent: Individuals who demonstrate exceptional skills or contributions are recognized and rewarded

Now, while the above features are praiseworthy, there still exist some formidable challenges. The durability of systemic inequalities, biases, and barriers can and does prevent alienated Americans from demonstrating their merit.  If one really wants to see meritocracy in action, simply watch an NFL or NBA game before the sport was integrated and after integration. Today’s cache of Black Quarterbacks in the NFL is testament to what can be once the assumption of racial inferiority is debunked. Once thought to be too intellectually inferior to be a field general Black quarterbacks are now flourishing in the NFL. Why? Dammit, because they got a chance. So, let’s stop this political gaslighting of people denied the opportunity to strut their stuff!  While no one can guarantee equal results, we can damn sure guarantee equal opportunity.

About The Author

Kwame S. Salter is President of The Salter Consulting Group, LLC.  After enjoying a rewarding career in non-profits and local politics, Kwame spent 22 years with Kraft Foods, where he rose to become Senior Vice President of Human Resources. He attributes his success to a strong work ethic, a commitment to excellence and to the employees he served, and unwavering candor.