New State Department diversity chief believes US is a ‘failed historical model’ with a ‘colonizing past’
Biden administration brings on Zakiya Carr Johnson for a seniorDEI role at the State Department. The DEI chief previously called America a 'failed historical model'
The Biden administration's new State Department diversity chief previously called America a "failed historic model" and demanded the destruction of tradition "at every juncture" on the altar of antiracism.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced last week the appointment of Zakiya Carr Johnson as their chief diversity and inclusion officer. Blinken touted Carr Johnson for bringing "expertise and a fresh perspective on how we build a workforce that reflects America."
Carr Johnson previously served as then-President Barack Obama's senior adviser and director of the first Race, Ethnicity and Social Inclusion Unit at the State Department.
Blinken also noted her experience since leaving Obama's State Department. "Her previous work promoting entrepreneurship and access to opportunity for underrepresented populations, as well as her commitment to inclusive leadership, make us stronger, smarter, and more innovative," he said.
Carr Johnson's experience consists of owning two relatively obscure companies – Odara Solutions, a DEI consulting firm, and Black Women Disrupt, an initiative in which Carr Johnson interviewed Black women involved in creative spaces around the world. Its YouTube channel had 125 subscribers.
Carr Johnson embraces a "feminist" leadership style, but one that "counter[s] White-centered feminism trends and narratives."
She said in a feminist webinar in August 2020, "Because we live and work within systems… so deeply rooted in patriarchy and colonialism and racism and otherism, we tend to be very resistant to shifts and changes. It's very uncomfortable for many colleagues… A culture of misogyny has allowed men to act without consequence and it becomes part of what we believe is normal, right? In order to make any change, we've literally got to be about the work of dismantling that traditional structure at every juncture."
Carr Johnson had previously said, as part of the group Fair Share of Women Leaders, that she believes that America is a "failed historical model" with a "colonizing past," in a since deleted article from Oct. 2019.
"[There] are chinks in the armor of traditional leadership that refuse to reconcile with a colonizing past, or recognize that time has run out for experimentation and tweaking of a failed historic model… We understand that a cultural shift is on the horizon and in order to save us all, we must be prepared to change," Carr Johnson wrote.
"Feminist leadership requires… challenge[ing] the structures we believe hold power… I am determined to contribute to this effort. This commitment is not merely about representation in seats and slots, but… how we leverage that space to make lasting change," she added. "We cannot have equity without dismantling structural racism, patriarchy and heterosexism…. It will start with movements… that compel us to ask… uncomfortable questions. What does inclusion mean for example, if White supremacy remains intact?"
"Therefore, it is my belief that despite the tension and discomfort that may come from questioning the way things have always been, we must critically explore privilege, power and process to chart new ways forward," she continued.
Carr Johnson co-authored a Fair Share toolkit guide entitled "Feminist Leaders for Feminist Goals."
According to the guide, redistributing power requires "feminist leadership" to redress "a culture of male and/ or white dominance."
"Feminist leadership must change power structures. In order to achieve transformative change, we must analyze and question existing power structures and how they affect decision-making. How can we redefine, value, use, share and distribute power differently?" the guide said.
The guide also raised a topic related to critical race theory called "intersectionality."
"Feminist leadership must be intersectional. Understanding and addressing intersecting identities, needs and resulting inequalities both within our own structures and in our work is the basis of ensuring representation, inclusion and diversity. How can we dismantle structural inequalities and what are potential ways forward to address them?," the guide stated.
In March 2018, Carr Johnson herself championed the critical race theory ideology. "I learned… to demand intersectionality in all spaces," she said in a video posted to her Facebook page.
In another Facebook post, Carr Johnson's Odara Solutions complained that female-directed diversity initiatives allow too many White women to advance, purportedly "at the expense of women of color."
This idea was reiterated in a June 2020 letter Carr Johnson signed with Fair Share which outlined a series of antiracist commitments.
"We strongly believe that feminist leadership must be anti-racist in order to transform our societies. Today we call for… long-term transformation… We will do our part to uplift and amplify feminist leaders of colour, counter White-centered feminism trends and narratives, and share Black and Brown feminists’ wisdom and recommendations," it said.
Carr Johnson also made a 2021 appearance to promote her "Black Women Disrupters" project on Marc Lamont Hill's show. Hill was fired in 2018 for using a chant associated with calling for the elimination of Israel "from the river to the sea." In November, the now-Al Jazeera host complained about the media "framing" Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Fox News Digital contacted the State Department for comment and did not immediately receive a response.
