National Science Foundation (NSF) had offered $1.5 million to address structural vulnerabilities in Python and the Python Package Index (PyPI), but the Foundation quickly became dispirited with the terms of the grant it would have to follow.
“These terms included affirming the statement that we ‘do not, and will not during the term of this financial assistance award, operate any programs that advance or promote DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion], or discriminatory equity ideology in violation of Federal anti-discrimination laws,’” Crary noted. “This restriction would apply not only to the security work directly funded by the grant, but to any and all activity of the PSF as a whole.”
What DEI does (among others) is if there’s two candidates for the same opening with the same exact qualifications, the more marginalized will be hired. Before that, it wasn’t a random choice of lottery, but who looked “more trustworthy” (white) or “more competent” (neurotypical). White nationalists want to undo not only this, but to go back the days when blacks (etc.) were actually discriminated against, because their feelings and memories of calling someone “working like a n****r” (context: slavery + blacks in the segregation era often had to work way more for way less).
When I worked for the federal government, it meant outreach to minority communities, trying to get more to apply. Once they applied, they were on the same playing field as everyone else.
On a related note: Every time I see a video on Facebook of a crash caused by a tractor trailer, I see racist comments, guessing who the driver was, as though no white guy has ever wrecked a truck. It’s insane. It’s so deep in their heads that rational thought is gone.
Racists started to overanalize mistakes made by PoC as an attempt to try to discredit DEI practices.