COLUMBUS, OHIO: Janice Gassam Asare, who founded the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion consultancy BWG Business Solutions, has been facing a state probe after writing an article about “decentering Whiteness” at the workplace.
Republican Senator JD Vance branded Asare “racist” over the article and ordered a probe into whether Asare and her consultancy have ever been handed Ohio taxpayers' cash.
Asare founded BWG Business Solutions in 2018 to “provide consultation and training for workplaces looking to foster anti-racist and anti-oppressive environments,” according to her Forbes profile.
She has authored 'Decentering Whiteness in the Workplace', as well as two best-selling books — 'Dirty Diversity' and 'The Pink Elephant'.
Asare additionally manages the weekly 'The Pink Elephant' LinkedIn newsletter, which has over 75,000 readers. She holds a PhD in organizational psychology from Hofstra University.
In her Forbes piece titled "3 Ways To Decenter Whiteness In Your Workplace," Asare discussed eliminating "Whiteness" from the workplace in order to better serve individuals who identify as "[people] of color."
She defined "White-centering" as a phenomenon that boosts White culture at the expense of non-White groups and makes organizations more unfair and unequal.
“It has been given many names including the White gaze and Whiteness as the default,” she said, adding “Because White-centering is often left unexamined and unchecked, equity and justice have continued to evade organizations.”
What did JD Vance say about Janice Gassam Asare’s article?
Vance harshly denounced Asare’s article, labeling it racist and attacking Forbes for having published it. “I'm just done with this s---. It's racist and it's gross. Forbes should be ashamed of themselves for publishing it,” he wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter).
“The author is a 'diversity, equity, and inclusion' consultant. I've directed my staff to investigate whether her 'business' receives any public money from Ohio,” he continued.
Reflecting on Vance’s remarks, Asare expressed that it was clear Vance had "no idea" what he was talking about with his post.
"I would say this: It's obvious that the senator has no idea what 'decentering Whiteness' actually means and how it's about the system of Whiteness and not one White person or White people," she told Fox News Digital.
"I expound on what decentering Whiteness in the workplace means in my book of the same name, which I'm happy to send to the senator or to anyone else who is confused,” she added.
Other prominent figures condemn Janice Gassam Asare
Others on X, including well-known people like David Harsanyi, a writer for The Federalist, and Mollie Hemingway, the editor-in-chief of The Federalist, voiced disgust of Forbes and the article for what they perceived as the promotion of bigotry and anti-American attitudes.
"So sick of this anti-American hate and racism from corporate media and corporate America," Hemmingway wrote, adding "People who push such racism are bad people destroying the country."
"The only way to ‘Decenter Whiteness’ is by firing White people, because being White is not a belief system or a faith or a way of living, it is an immutable characteristic," David Harsanyi said.
Republican candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy also criticized the notion of "decentering Whiteness" and implying that it is the same as terminating White people. He described it as “racism without the possibility of reverse racism.”
