President Donald Trump鈥檚 war on diversity, equity and inclusion continued its march into Palm Beach County last week , mostly reluctantly, suspended programs designed to help women, minorities and other disadvantaged groups succeed.
Faced with losing $329 million in federal grants, commissioners said they had no choice but to stop giving women- and minority-owned businesses preference in county contracts. Instead, the firms will compete for contracts against other small businesses that are mostly owned by white men.
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The decision, which prompted three commissioners to emotionally recount their own experiences with discrimination, came roughly six weeks after the county school board took similar action. Under threat of losing federal money, Clerk and Comptroller Joe Abruzzo said he recently did the same.
Commissioners also eliminated the county鈥檚 Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Created in 2021, it was never staffed. They also removed the words 鈥済ender identity or expression鈥� from the county鈥檚 non-discrimination policy.
But the policy will continue to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation.
County Attorney Denise Coffman said she will be reviewing other county laws and policies to make sure they don鈥檛 conflict with Trump鈥檚 executive orders.
Trump called for the elimination of diversity programs, which he described as and banned the use of the term 鈥済ender identity.鈥�
Ending 鈥榓 terrible way for society to thrive鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 awful,鈥� Commissioner Gregg Weiss said of the decision facing the commission.
But, he and others said, short of filing a lawsuit to challenge Trump鈥檚 orders, commissioners had no choice but to eliminate the program that was created when a $700,000 study in 2018 showed women- and minority-owned businesses weren鈥檛 getting their fair share of county work. A $450,000 follow up review is underway.
The threats facing the commission were significant. Not only have federal agencies threatened to withhold grants from municipalities that don鈥檛 comply with the orders, but Attorney General Pam Bondi has said she would file criminal false claim charges against government leaders.
鈥淭he reality is that if we don鈥檛 comply, we lose millions in federal money that our taxpayers sent to Washington,鈥� Weiss said. 鈥淟osing that money will hit our most vulnerable residents 鈥� seniors, families and kids who need county services 鈥� the hardest.鈥�
Commissioner Sarah Baxter, in contrast, gave full-throated support to Trump鈥檚 policies, which face hundreds of lawsuits across the country.
Quoting the dictionary, the Bible and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Baxter said she was glad to be rid of the minority- and women-business enterprise program that was launched in 1991, abandoned for a decade and hailed as 鈥渉istoric鈥� when it was revived in 2018.
鈥淚 can鈥檛 be any more in support of something that gets rid of things based on race whether it鈥檚 one way or another,鈥� Baxter said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a terrible way for society to thrive. And we got rid of it and to go back to it is awful.鈥�
Dueling quotations from Martin Luther King Jr.
A merit-based system provides the best value for county taxpayers and follows the teachings of the Bible, which 鈥渋s all about love and bringing people together regardless of the color of their skin,鈥� Baxter said.
It also channels the goals King espoused in his famous 鈥�, she said.
鈥淗e said he dreamed of a day when we would be judged based on the content of our character, not the color of our skin,鈥� she said, paraphrasing the speech King gave during the . 鈥淭hat is exactly where I want to be.鈥�
While Commissioner Marci Woodward said she shared her colleague鈥檚 views, other commissioners disputed Baxter鈥檚 claims. Commissioner Bobby Powell, the only Black commissioner, said Baxter was not painting a full picture of King鈥檚 views or his dreams.
He quoted King鈥檚 , where the civil rights leader railed against millions of Blacks 鈥減erishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.鈥�
鈥淒r. King did have a dream, but there are also two Americas,鈥� Powell said.
U.S.-born Flores told to go back to his country
Commissioner Joel Flores, the only Hispanic on the commission, said people who haven鈥檛 鈥渨alked a day in my shoes鈥� don鈥檛 understand the myth of a merit-based system. As a combat veteran, with a master鈥檚 degree and the ability to speak two languages, he said he is still judged by his Hispanic heritage.
Knowing that, he said, 鈥渆very time I want to speak in public I have to polish the words I鈥檓 going to use so my God-damned accent doesn鈥檛 show up,鈥� he said. It鈥檚 a practice repeated by Latino youth, who know they won鈥檛 be judged on their merit.
Some, he said, don鈥檛 hide their disdain for him. 鈥淚鈥檝e been told by fellow military personnel to go back to my country,鈥� said Flores, who was born in the United States.
鈥淵ou have not seen what I have seen,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou have no idea how my heart breaks right now. Don鈥檛 try to paint this as something else than what it is. We deserve better. We deserve the freedom that I fought for.鈥�
Weiss also tried to get Baxter to understand the reality of prejudice. 鈥淭here鈥檚 places in this county that I can鈥檛 join, that I can鈥檛 be a member of,鈥� said Weiss, who is Jewish. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not because of what I鈥檝e accomplished or not accomplished. It鈥檚 because of who I was born to.鈥�
Ultimately, however, with Commissioner Marci Woodward joining Baxter in supporting a merit-based system, the commission voted 6-1 to eliminate the programs and excise the words Trump finds offensive. Powell was the lone dissenter.
Weiss said he hoped the halt in the women- and minority-business enterprise program would be short-lived. Assistant County Attorney Masimba Mutamba said it could be at least a year before the issue is decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
鈥淭hese programs give more people the opportunity than ever had the opportunity before,鈥� Weiss said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a need. There鈥檚 a continuing need.鈥�
This story was originally published by , a SA国际传谋 News partner.
