Letters to the Editor: Diversity is what makes America special. Let’s not abandon that

To the editor: There is so much opposition to diversity, equity and inclusion in today’s society that it makes me wonder about the goals of those who are waging the battle against it (“What Congress needs to know about DEI [but doesn’t want to hear],” July 8).

This is a diverse nation. It seems unlikely that all the legislation and expulsions government bodies can engineer will change that. As for equity and inclusion, I’d appreciate clarification on which of us who are here legally and productively do not deserve to be equal and included.

On a related theme, use of the phrase “Make America Great Again” indicates that it once was and is not anymore, and that we should identify when it was and aspire toward that society. But when was that? My African American friends would not agree that it was better in the ’50s (either in the 1900s or the 1800s). I don’t long for the time when several of my ancestors from Germany sought entry to our nation to escape ovens in concentration camps. They were denied because the Jewish quota had been filled, they returned home and they perished.

Our strength is that we are the most inclusive, diverse, welcoming, fair country on Earth. Let us not abandon that which makes us special.

Richard Shafarman, Santa Clarita