Rep. Brandon Gill, a Republican from Texas, took self-proclaimed diversity expert Dr. Shaun Harper to task during a House Oversight Committee hearing late last month about the efficacy of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs.
Harper serves as the Provost Professor in the Rossier School of Education, Marshall School of Business, and Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California.
Gill asked Harper several questions to see if he thought people should be treated differently based on race.
Harper attempted to defend the idea of favoring specific races over others, but after a certain point in the exchange, he stopped answering the “yes or no” questions altogether.
“Do you believe that America should be a colorblind society? For instance, should people be treated differently based on their race?” Gill asked. Harper was mute for a moment before Gill said, “It’s just a yes or no question.”
“It’s not a yes or no question,” the DEI supporter shot back.
“America has not done right by indigenous peoples, by black people, by Asian American and Pacific Islander people.”
Gill repeated the question and finally got a response from Harper. “People should receive the services, and the support, and the remedies that are owed to them,” he said, “because of the systemic racism.”
MUST WATCH: Rep. Brandon Gill (R) RIPS into “DEI expert” and exposes his racist DEI practices: @RepBrandonGill: “Should people be treated differently based on their race? Yes or no.”
Dr. Harper: “It’s not a yes or no question…People should receive the services, support, and… pic.twitter.com/Pgw2xmSJ8H
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) June 25, 2025
Do you think DEI actually helps people?
Gill went on to ask if race should be considered in company hiring practices. Harper stated, “I do not believe that white people are the only qualified people for jobs.”
The Republican lawmaker called out his misstating of the question. “I didn’t say that. Nobody said that,” Gill answered, “and you’re not going to intimidate my by slandering me as a racist.”
“I did not call you a racist,” Harper replied. “You’re not going to intimidate me by insisting that I called you a racist.”
When he repeated the question about hiring practices, Harper said, “I believe that diversity ought to be considered.”
Gill cut Harper off by saying, “I’ll take that as a yes. Which race do you think should be preferred?”
Harper thought for a moment and said no single race should be preferred. When Harper was pressed on his previous statements to the contrary, he said, “There’s going to be a transcript of this hearing. I didn’t say that.”
When asked to explain his beliefs, Harper said that “the demographic composition of workplaces” should “reflect the diversity of the United States of America.”
After another back and forth, Harper continued to dodge the question and tried to say his views were not racist.
Gill also hit upon the college admissions example of two applicants being considered — one black, one white, with only one slot available — and then asked Harper if he thought one student should have an advantage over the other.
“I am a proponent of holistic admissions,” he answered. “I can’t answer that question for you as a proponent of holistic admissions.”
Let’s call this what it is: racism by another name.
Harper, and others like him, say they’re striving for equality. But in reality they’re attempting to tip the scales in favor of certain races and “victims,” who they think deserve to be promoted through life based on skin color instead of merit.
If we allow a world where diversity and quotas rule the day, we will suffer. This can become a life or death issue when we’re talking about future doctors, firefighters, police, and pilots.
We shouldn’t care if someone is black, white, green, purple, short, tall, fat, skinny, or from the dark side of the moon. If they’re the best, they get the job, and they should be given the chance to further prove themselves.
If they’re not the best, then like billions of other people who’ve come before them throughout history, they must learn to recalculate their trajectory and find where their natural talent lies, rather than having it handed to them on a silver platter because they happen to check certain boxes.
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