Georgia gubernatorial hopeful vows to ‘ban DEI’ but his own company touted diversity and inclusion
How is this acceptable?
FIRST ON FOX: Rick Jackson, who is seeking the Republican nomination in the Georgia gubernatorial race, appeared to support Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies at Jackson Healthcare, according to unearthed audio of a former DEI executive at his company, but Jackson is now promising to put an end to the DEI push if he becomes the governor.
"We’ll ban DEI insanity and criminalize reverse discrimination," Jackson said in a campaign ad last month.
Jackson’s calls to end DEI appear to run counter to praise he received from Matthew Harrison, who formerly served in multiple executive-level roles leading DEI initiatives at Jackson Healthcare between early 2018 and Aug. 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile and University of Georgia bio for an adjunct assistant professor role.
"I think it really reinforced for our associates that certainly, from a leadership perspective, our leaders get and see the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in our workforce at Jackson Healthcare in I mean, and it really is emulated as a part of our values," Harrison, who has a PhD in workplace diversity and who did his thesis on "Colorism," said during a 2020 podcast interview.
WATCH: DEI STILL IN PLACE AS COLLEGE 'FINDING WAYS' AROUND BAN, OFFICIAL ADMITS: 'PROUD OF THE FIGHT'
Harrison described that the company’s leadership had taken steps to disseminate DEI principles through a "Conversations" series the company allegedly held at Jackson's direction.
"We created what we call our ‘Conversations,’ a learning experience about race. That was something we launched in October of 2019, and that is something that really kind of started due to the history of our CEO and founder, Rick Jackson," Harrison said.
"I think Rick felt that it was important enough, and we had a culture in place where we could establish that safe space and create those ground rules on the front end to where he felt comfortable with us doing that," Harrison added.
Harrison further described the "Conversations" series in a 2022 interview.
"I think oftentimes we shy away a little bit at work, and we don't have these discussions, and really, the workplace is the exact place where we should … So we created a ‘conversation on race’ series where people were brought together with their colleagues to talk about race, to talk about prejudice, to talk about microaggressions," Harrison said.
Jackson's campaign pushed back on the characterization that the "Conversations" series meant that Jackson's company had implemented or supported DEI principles.
"The most pathetic attack yet from Burt Jones' failing …
How is this acceptable?
FIRST ON FOX: Rick Jackson, who is seeking the Republican nomination in the Georgia gubernatorial race, appeared to support Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies at Jackson Healthcare, according to unearthed audio of a former DEI executive at his company, but Jackson is now promising to put an end to the DEI push if he becomes the governor.
"We’ll ban DEI insanity and criminalize reverse discrimination," Jackson said in a campaign ad last month.
Jackson’s calls to end DEI appear to run counter to praise he received from Matthew Harrison, who formerly served in multiple executive-level roles leading DEI initiatives at Jackson Healthcare between early 2018 and Aug. 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile and University of Georgia bio for an adjunct assistant professor role.
"I think it really reinforced for our associates that certainly, from a leadership perspective, our leaders get and see the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in our workforce at Jackson Healthcare in I mean, and it really is emulated as a part of our values," Harrison, who has a PhD in workplace diversity and who did his thesis on "Colorism," said during a 2020 podcast interview.
WATCH: DEI STILL IN PLACE AS COLLEGE 'FINDING WAYS' AROUND BAN, OFFICIAL ADMITS: 'PROUD OF THE FIGHT'
Harrison described that the company’s leadership had taken steps to disseminate DEI principles through a "Conversations" series the company allegedly held at Jackson's direction.
"We created what we call our ‘Conversations,’ a learning experience about race. That was something we launched in October of 2019, and that is something that really kind of started due to the history of our CEO and founder, Rick Jackson," Harrison said.
"I think Rick felt that it was important enough, and we had a culture in place where we could establish that safe space and create those ground rules on the front end to where he felt comfortable with us doing that," Harrison added.
Harrison further described the "Conversations" series in a 2022 interview.
"I think oftentimes we shy away a little bit at work, and we don't have these discussions, and really, the workplace is the exact place where we should … So we created a ‘conversation on race’ series where people were brought together with their colleagues to talk about race, to talk about prejudice, to talk about microaggressions," Harrison said.
Jackson's campaign pushed back on the characterization that the "Conversations" series meant that Jackson's company had implemented or supported DEI principles.
"The most pathetic attack yet from Burt Jones' failing …
Georgia gubernatorial hopeful vows to ‘ban DEI’ but his own company touted diversity and inclusion
How is this acceptable?
FIRST ON FOX: Rick Jackson, who is seeking the Republican nomination in the Georgia gubernatorial race, appeared to support Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies at Jackson Healthcare, according to unearthed audio of a former DEI executive at his company, but Jackson is now promising to put an end to the DEI push if he becomes the governor.
"We’ll ban DEI insanity and criminalize reverse discrimination," Jackson said in a campaign ad last month.
Jackson’s calls to end DEI appear to run counter to praise he received from Matthew Harrison, who formerly served in multiple executive-level roles leading DEI initiatives at Jackson Healthcare between early 2018 and Aug. 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile and University of Georgia bio for an adjunct assistant professor role.
"I think it really reinforced for our associates that certainly, from a leadership perspective, our leaders get and see the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in our workforce at Jackson Healthcare in I mean, and it really is emulated as a part of our values," Harrison, who has a PhD in workplace diversity and who did his thesis on "Colorism," said during a 2020 podcast interview.
WATCH: DEI STILL IN PLACE AS COLLEGE 'FINDING WAYS' AROUND BAN, OFFICIAL ADMITS: 'PROUD OF THE FIGHT'
Harrison described that the company’s leadership had taken steps to disseminate DEI principles through a "Conversations" series the company allegedly held at Jackson's direction.
"We created what we call our ‘Conversations,’ a learning experience about race. That was something we launched in October of 2019, and that is something that really kind of started due to the history of our CEO and founder, Rick Jackson," Harrison said.
"I think Rick felt that it was important enough, and we had a culture in place where we could establish that safe space and create those ground rules on the front end to where he felt comfortable with us doing that," Harrison added.
Harrison further described the "Conversations" series in a 2022 interview.
"I think oftentimes we shy away a little bit at work, and we don't have these discussions, and really, the workplace is the exact place where we should … So we created a ‘conversation on race’ series where people were brought together with their colleagues to talk about race, to talk about prejudice, to talk about microaggressions," Harrison said.
Jackson's campaign pushed back on the characterization that the "Conversations" series meant that Jackson's company had implemented or supported DEI principles.
"The most pathetic attack yet from Burt Jones' failing …
