Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has called out critics who are blaming diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts for the firefighting response to the deadly wildfires in Los Angeles.
Are DEI efforts leading to a slow response in LA’s deadly wildfires?
According to The Grio, Crockett appeared on CNN’s News Night with Abby Phillip Wednesday night and had strong words for CNN Republican contributor Scott Jennings, who suggested that LA’s struggle to contain the wildfires is due to the exclusion of white men recruited in the city’s fire department programs.
“In California, you might have recalled a news story from last year … there was some interest in the fire departments and the firefighters in California,” Jennings said on the show.
He continued, “The interest was that there were too many white men who were firefighters and we need to have a program in California to make sure we don’t have enough white men as firefighters.”
View this post on Instagram
‘It was my ancestors who built the White House’
Jennings’ remarks sparked a debate, with Crockett correcting him on the significant contributions of Black Americans.
“We are looking at qualifications,” Crockett responded. “What diversity, equity and inclusion has always been about is saying, ‘You know what, open this up. Don’t just look at the white men. Open it up and recognize other people can be qualified.”
Crockett continued, “The fact that we want to, at a time when people are dying, decide that a country of immigrants is failing? … The same very people who built this country. The last time I checked y’all didn’t say anything was wrong with the White House and I can promise it was my ancestors who built the White House.”
She emphasized that America was built by Black Americans, who are more than qualified to serve in these roles.
“If we are good enough to build this country, we are good enough to serve and die overseas, we are good enough to serve in other ways. … Stop trying to act as if only white men are the ones that are capable,” Crockett said.
Right-wing influencer Matt Walsh spread similar misinformation on his X account.
“Los Angeles deliberately set out to exclude white men from becoming firefighters, and now they don’t have enough firefighters to prevent their city from burning to the ground,” Walsh tweeted, referencing another X post about a lack of firefighters in Los Angeles. “DEI is a cancer that destroys everything it touches.”
Climate change vs. diversity
Climate change has sparked debate among both Republicans and Democrats, with discussions focusing on its role in natural disasters and other environmental issues. Some conservatives are now blaming the wildfire disaster on California’s politics, Rolling Stone reported.
On Wednesday, Elon Musk responded on X, formerly known as Twitter, to a video of Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowley discussing her efforts to diversify the department.
“DEI means people DIE,” Elon Musk wrote, suggesting that the policies surrounding this framework are contributing to more fatalities in the disaster.
DEI means people DIE https://t.co/f86ZXam5oz
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 9, 2025
The most destructive windstorm in over a decade
As Blavity reported, a powerful windstorm was expected to hit the greater Los Angeles and Southern California area on Tuesday, with experts calling it the most destructive storm in over a decade. As of Thursday, the natural disaster has led to multiple fatalities and injuries across the city, with many residents losing nearly everything as the deadly wildfires still remain.
