Ever since Donald Trump promised to slash diversity, equity and inclusion programs, anti-DEI slander has been on the rise, particularly in the workplace, where Black women are more likely to experience microaggressions. When a Black female nurse faced a passive-aggressive anti-DEI rant from a white coworker, she decided to respond with the facts. The woman, known as mykaela_elise on Instagram, shared her story on her platform.
“On yesterday’s episode of white women white womening,” mykeal_elise quipped in the Instagram reel, “I had an ignorant white woman tell me that I was more likely to get into a CRNA (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist) program than her. The ICU nurse said that her coworker believed this is because” they love to hire diversity.”
The audacious coworker then attempted to walk away, but not before receiving a quick lesson from mykeal_elise. The Instagrammer told her coworker that white women benefit more from diversity and inclusion programs than Black women.
The nurse and military vet pointed out statistics that show 57.5% of Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) in the U.S. are white women, compared to 3.4% who are Black women.
“Baby, if you’re not getting hired, it’s because you’re not qualified,” the nurse said in the video, which garnered over 3,000 comments.
“If I’m not getting hired, it’s because I’m overqualified. Black people don’t have the option, especially Black women, to be mediocre and hired in highly coveted positions,” the medical professional said.
White women have been the primary beneficiaries of diversity, equity and inclusion programs, which were designed to help several marginalized groups, including religious minorities and veterans. According to a 2023 Forbes report, white women hold nearly 19% of all C-suite positions, compared to women of color, who have 4%.
White women have disproportionately benefited from DEI programs. According to a 2024 study released by McKinsey, it would take 22 years for white women to achieve gender equality in the workplace, but 48 years for women of color. Yet, without DEI, it is unlikely that women of any race will experience this progression. Perhaps white women’s workplace microaggressions are misdirected.
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