Whether you think “woke” is a good thing or a bad thing, Guilford County government has certainly been waking up in a big way recently.
After nearly tripling the size of its MWBE Department in one day earlier this year, buying expensive software to track all county spending in terms of diversity, and spending about $300,000 on a major diversity study before that, the county is now kicking off a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiative meant to make county employees more aware of racist and other undesirable behavior and also make them more respectful of those who are different from them.
Earlier this year, Guilford County solicited requests for proposals for a DEI Initiative and received 14 bids from responsible bidders.
The work includes, but isn’t limited to, the following: “conduct … an organizational assessment, policy and process analysis, review current business practices, identify opportunities to address inclusion barriers, and develop a strategic plan.”
The county put together a “diverse staff panel” which selected Innolect, Inc to provide the service at a cost of $228,000.
Chairman of the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Skip Alston said that it is important that the county beef up its DEI efforts. He added that both county employees and customers of the county’s services will benefit.
“It’s always a good thing to learn more,” he said.
“If you haven’t been introduced to it,” Alston said of DEI practices, “then you only know what you know.”
Innolect is a female-owned firm that consults on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in both the public and private sector. The company handles DEI initiatives for various Fortune 500 companies, educational institutions, governments, and nonprofits.
The contract with the company includes an option to renew after the initial two-year period which runs into mid-June 2025.
What were the other bids…bid dollars as well…not much transparency in the release!
Hey Scott, the entire county and its leader are racists. Will DEI help them be less racist?
DEI only enables racists to be more racist.
“If you haven’t been introduced to it,” Alston said of DEI practices, “then you only know what you know.”
Yogi Berra couldn’t have said it better! (That’s really what the smoke and haze has been over the County recently)
I find this a Forrest Gump moment
“Stupid is as stupid does “. Has no one in the county been keeping up with national trends. Top universities and Fortune 500 companies are shedding this crap as fast as it got started. They started looking at what they were getting for the big money that was being spent and suddenly realized the only benefit to anyone was the companies they were paying were getting rich. Good job of being stewards of our tax dollars. A reckoning is coming Skip.
KARMA is a bitch
How are you going to do this in a city that’s 45% black and growing? What pixie dust are you going to spread over the city to change the mind of the citizens. The county line is in 4 directions
Black City is a racist!
City here’s an idea why not sign your post the way you really feel let’s start with
“black city”. And I’m being kind
Oh, the acronyms! In English, the Minority and Women Business Enterprises received expensive software (no dollar amount divulged) to track county spending. $300,000 spent on a “major” diversity study (results of study?). And now a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative meant to make county employees more aware of racist and other undesirable behavior and also make them more respectful of those who are different from them. Additionally, they hire Innolec, Inc. to the tune of $228,000 in the interest of “learning more.”
It’s not the learning that needs priority; it’s the DOING that’s being neglected. And you needn’t pay me half a million dollars for that to happen.
I am out of explutives.
It’s so easy to spend other people’s money, stolen at gunpoint, for feel good BS, like the bike lanes and this!
The county line is in four directions pick one they will be happy to have you we get 8 new people a day you won’t be missed!
And Africa is due East.
We need more DEI as much as we need higher property taxes! There is no bigger waste of money than a DEI (it should be DIE) program that has no redeeming social value and only spurs more division than diversity. And that Equity is nothing but BS that dumbs down to the lowest level so everyone can be included! Our current education system is a failure and is only making our students dumber!
Save 300,000- what did the GOLDEN RUEL say or have we forgoten!! Try that.
Democrat definition of the Golden Rule…They that have the Gold make the Rules