Briefly Unpacking the Myth of American Meritocracy
IN BRIEF: As anti-civil rights groups attempt to unravel civil rights protections, a false narrative placing diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility at odds with meritocracy has seen a resurgence in recent years. This narrative is popular among some elected and appointed leaders who say Black people and people from other marginalized groups aren’t competent or hardworking, claiming many have not achieved success legitimately. These opponents of racial equality also argue that if Black people and people from other marginalized groups aren’t able to achieve success, it’s because of personal failures rather than persistent discrimination and unfair barriers. It’s increasingly necessary to unpack these baseless and racially biased claims.
WHY IT MATTERS: Aside from the hard work and countless contributions of Black people in this country, the false rhetoric around meritocracy entirely ignores ongoing discrimination that keeps many hardworking, qualified people locked out of education and jobs. The truth is that we’ve never had a true meritocracy because of the racial discrimination in our past that persists to the present.
Rather than giving people unearned opportunities, lawful diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility programs aim to remove discriminatory barriers to equal opportunity that might otherwise unfairly exclude talented, hardworking people.
However, opponents of these programs often mischaracterize these efforts as quotas or preferences that give unfair advantages when, in reality, they simply level the playing field. These opponents also falsely claim that anyone benefiting from such programs — usually women, people of color, and other marginalized groups facing unfair disadvantages — are inherently unqualified to hold the positions they’ve earned, such as our nation’s leaders, educators, doctors, or lawyers. These assertions are completely untrue.
ON THE HORIZON: So far, the current Trump administration has issued more than 70 executive orders — many aimed at reversing or undermining decades of progress by misconstruing the purpose of laws and policies that advance civil rights. As the Trump administration continues to wage its war on civil rights, we must consider how undermining many equal opportunity policies will tangibly impact people’s lives and reject the harmful and untrue narratives behind these executive actions.
LDF AT WORK: It’s clear that President Trump intends to disadvantage Black people and other people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, and people with disabilities by prohibiting the policies and practices that help ensure that they — like everyone else — have equal access to employment, health care, housing, education, and other resources and opportunities to lead fruitful and successful lives. Civil rights organizations cannot allow this oppression to advance unchecked. That is why the Legal Defense Fund, along with Lambda Legal, recently filed a complaint challenging three executive orders aimed at gutting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts, including efforts to advance equal rights for Black people and transgender people.