Devex: Update: USAID pauses all diversity and inclusion training
“The U.S. Agency for International Development has paused diversity and inclusion trainings in response to President Donald Trump’s executive order on combating race and sex stereotyping. The guidance released by USAID on Wednesday night, and obtained by Devex, ordered the heads of all bureaus to ‘put a hold on upcoming diversity and inclusion trainings, seminars, and other related fora as we, in conjunction with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), conduct a review of the content of these programs.’ … On Sept. 22, Trump issued an executive order in an attempt to ‘combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating,’ based on the administration’s belief that trainings including terms such as ‘critical race theory,’ ‘white privilege,’ ‘intersectionality,’ ‘systemic racism,’ ‘positionality,’ ‘racial humility,’ and ‘unconscious bias’ are divisive and discriminatory. An accompanying memorandum instructs agencies to identify training programs related to diversity and inclusion held during fiscal year 2020, including those conducted by outside vendors, and determine the amount spent on them. They are also ordered to review the trainings to determine whether they ‘teach, advocate, or promote the divisive concepts’ and to include provisions in future contracts prohibiting training that is inconsistent with the executive order…” (Igoe, 9/30).