I’m just glad that someone is finally admitting that this is an industry.
The Miami Herald reports:
‘We’re in trouble’: Miami DEI leader says state policies left the industry in freefallMiami Shores resident Roni Bennett launched South Florida People of Color in 2015 to educate businesses and universities about marginalized communities and help them learn why diversity, equity and inclusion — DEI, for short — is important to the foundation of any company or organization.A decade later, Bennett has seen her work limited by Florida legislation affecting DEI that has been supported by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, including the 2022 Stop Woke Act. She estimates that her annual revenue, which once hovered around $300,000, has been cut in half because of the legislation.“We’re in trouble,” said Bennett, 54.Before Stop Woke, Bennett said South Florida People of Color had sufficient revenue to organize community events. That quickly stopped, she said, after DeSantis signed the act into law in 2022. Many of the businesses that she served stopped requesting the organization’s services.And with the reelection of Donald Trump, an opponent of DEI measures, many Florida DEI leaders like Bennett are concerned about the future of their educational programming.Before creating South Florida People of Color, Bennett worked in corporate America as a marketing director for IBM and HP. She found that companies often did not speak about diverse experiences like her own, and that bristled her.“I know how it is,” she said. “You’re usually the only Black person in a department.”The 2003 birth of her son Michael changed her perspective. Living and working in Silicon Valley meant that she was spending much of her time around people unlike her and her Jamaican family. Moving to Miami allowed Bennett’s family to better connect with their Caribbean roots.
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