Witness tells Congress DEI departments aren’t equipped to combat antisemitism

A Democrat-invited witness to a congressional hearing on antisemitism on college campuses told lawmakers that diversity, equity, and inclusion departments on college campuses weren’t set up to help white students.

Stacy Burdett, an independent consultant in antisemitism prevention and response, was one of four witnesses who testified at a Tuesday hearing of the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development about the rise of antisemitism on college campuses.

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In response to a question from Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC), Burdett said she doesn’t “know a single Jewish person who isn’t very scared right now” and noted that Jewish organizations and people are reliant on the existing federal civil rights infrastructure to protect their rights. But she acknowledged that DEI departments have struggled with responding to the needs of Jewish students.

“Diversity, equity, and inclusion work maybe wasn’t set up to anticipate a group of mostly white people scared of hate crimes,” Burdett said. “But it can be enhanced, and the people that I work with have adapted and are protecting Jews now.”

Republican lawmakers and the three other witnesses repeatedly identified DEI departments as generally anti-Israel and staffed by people who have not helped Jewish students amid a rise of antisemitic activity on college campuses.

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In his opening statement, subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens (R-UT) said university DEI departments are “steeped deeply in the doctrine of Marxism” and “are anything but inclusive for Jews.”

“DEI programs are ideologically antisemitic because they ascribe collective guilt to the entire state of Israel for its mere existence,” Owens said. “The core principles of the Marxist ideologue is not diversity, equity, or inclusion. It is instead discrimination, intolerance, and bigotry towards individuals thought to belong to the wrong group.”