During a CNN appearance on Newsnight with Abby Phillip, Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett laid into conservative pundit Scott Jennings for insinuating that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to diversify California fire departments are partially to blame for the Los Angeles wildfires.
Deadly wildfires in Los Angeles County remain largely uncontained, with officials reporting at least five confirmed fatalities so far. However, on Thursday, authorities admitted, “frankly, we don’t know” the true extent of the death toll. Evacuation orders are currently affecting nearly 180,000 residents, as thousands of homes and buildings have been destroyed.
Amid all this, conservative critics have bizarrely suggested DEI practices as the reason the fires have not been able to be contained, citing a 2023 report detailing a training program designed to diversify the state's fire departments, which are predominantly made up of white men.
DEI programs are organizational strategies aimed at ensuring fair treatment and full participation for everyone, with a special focus on historically marginalized or discriminated groups. These frameworks strive to create an environment where all individuals, regardless of their identity or abilities, are valued and included.
Critics argue that DEI programs are discriminatory and try to address racial discrimination by disadvantaging other groups, particularly white Americans. However, supporters and industry experts maintain that DEI practices, which have been in place for decades, have been politicized and are often misunderstood.
But there's absolutely no connection between these initiatives and the deadly nature of these fires, which scientists and Democratic politicians alike have acknowledged are worsening due to anthropogenic climate change—not that this stopped Jennings from saying the following:
There was some interest in the fire departments and the firefighters in California. And 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. We have DEI, we have budget cuts, and yet I’m wondering now if your house was burning down, how much do you care what color the firefighters are?”
Crockett—who sat on the panel with Virgin Islands Delegate Stacey Plaskett, who is also Black—responded:
"Listen, we had an article that came out that said the most educated demographic in this country right now is Black women. Let me clear, because you're a woman—and I know some on the right have been sharing these photos that [Los Angeles fire chief Kristin M. Crowley] is a woman—that has nothing to do with it."
"We are looking at qualifications. 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 that other people can be qualified."
She went on to question why conservatives would “decide that a country of immigrants is failing” or claim that “people are dying” because of the “same very people that built this country," adding:
“Cause the last time I checked, y’all didn’t say that anything was wrong with the White House. And I can promise you, it was my ancestors that built the White House."
"If we have been good enough to build this country, we are good enough to serve and die overseas, we are good enough to serve in other ways. The fact that people decide to engage in public service, whether it's serving in Congress or the fire department or the police department should not be an issue."
"The fact is, stop trying to act as if only white men are the ones that are capable because right now, you’re sitting at a table with three very capable black women."
You can hear what she said in the video below.
Crockett later shared the footage via her official X account, writing:
"Last night, I sat next to a man who desperately wanted attention. How did he try to get that attention? By claiming the reason for the wildfires in LA is that California firefighters aren’t white enough."
You can see her post below.
Many praised her remarks and criticized Jennings in response.
Crockett's appearance on Newsnight comes amid wider criticisms of DEI from the GOP.
Republicans, spurred by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who have been tasked to co-lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), are expected to recommend an agency-wide purge of funding of DEI programs.
DOGE doesn't actually exist outside of an X account and even once Trump is sworn it will lack any statutory authority, serving primarily as a presidential advisory commission, capable of making recommendations to Congress and the White House.
However, there are signs that dismantling DEI-related initiatives will become a priority for emboldened Republicans aiming to reduce government spending they disapprove of in Washington.
