The Trump Administration has launched a full-fledged campaign to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs nationwide in academia, business, employment, contracting, finance and every aspect of society.
Trump’s officials have falsely argued DEI programs provide preferences to unqualified women and people of color. Obviously, nothing could be further from the truth!
In their full-blown attack on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, where does Rick Caruso stand? Caruso is a donor, booster and high-ranking member of the USC board of Trustees, so it’s reasonable to suspect where he stands on diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
When USC was targeted by the Trump administration with financial penalties, if they did not eliminate their diversity, equity and inclusion programs, did Rick Caruso fight to save those programs? Did he speak up in support of DEI Initiatives?
Rick CarusoRecently, activist and author Earl Ofari Hutchinson wrote an article challenging Rick Caruso to speak out clearly and forcefully about where he stands on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs. As a high profile businessman and potential candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, it’s reasonable to question if Rick Caruso fought to protect Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives at USC or did he work with the Trump administration to cut DEI programs at USC?
In fact, in the run up to the elections in 2026 before we endorse any candidate for Governor, Mayor, Senator, Congress or any local office, we must obtain definitive support from each candidate to support and maintain Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs in California.
Our community should not support any candidate who is unwilling to publicly speak out against Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s unprecedented efforts to eliminate Black History from our universities, schools, museums, work places and other institutions. In a little over 100 days the Trump Administration has banned the teaching of Black History in our schools, removed books by Black authors from library shelves, erased public memorials honoring Black trailblazers, reduced federal funding for African American Museums and threatened to withdraw federal funding institutions that practice diversity, equity, and inclusion.
I don’t know if Rick Caruso responded to Earl Ofari Hutchinson’s recent request to support the continuation of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at USC, but we should take it one step further and demand for him to answer whether he personally supports Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and more importantly does he implement Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs within his own businesses?
Our community deserves to know where potential candidates for public office stand on the critical issue of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Pastor William D. Smart, Jr. is the president and CEO of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California.
