On May 20, I hosted a powerful and urgent segment of The Eric Frazier Show entitled:
“Executive Order 14271 and Disparate Impact: The Real Consequences for Black America.”
In that episode, I discussed the Trump administration’s dangerous rollback of civil rights protections through executive orders—particularly EO 14271, which seeks to eliminate “disparate impact” as a legal standard for proving discrimination. I outlined how this action would disproportionately hurt Black Americans by erasing one of the most powerful tools ever created to fight systemic injustice in housing, employment, and education.
After the show aired, I received a call from a longtime listener and friend—someone I respect and who also happens to be African-American. He asked me:
“Should race, gender, sexual orientation, or national origin be considered in hiring practices by employers?”
At first, I was taken aback—not because I didn’t know how to respond, but because of who he was. I immediately recognized what this question was really about.
This wasn’t a genuine inquiry. This was a loaded question—a rhetorical grenade masquerading as moral high ground. It was designed not to spark thought, but to shut down debate. It’s a tactic. A tool. A conservative sleight-of-hand meant to brand those who support civil rights protections as immoral, unethical, un-American, or even racist for acknowledging race at all.
But the real immorality lies in the question itself.
Let me be clear: I know the game. And I know how to win the argument.
The question is meant to sound neutral, even noble. But beneath the surface, it is loaded with assumptions—assumptions that ignore centuries of race-based exclusion and pretend the playing field has already been leveled.
That’s why I’m writing this blog—not just to respond, but to expose the fallacy, refute the lie, and speak truth to power. Because the very question, “Should race matter in hiring?”—if asked without historical context—is not only dishonest…
It’s dangerous.
So, I was clear and firm to him and I will be clear and direct in this article. Let there be no doubt. The answer is:
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Yes—race must be a factor in hiring.
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Yes—gender, orientation, national origin, and sexual orientation must be considered.
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Yes—because if justice is to mean anything, it must include those harmed. Justice demands it.
I. The Question Is a Trap—Not a Truth
In classical rhetoric and formal debate, this is called a loaded question—a question that contains a false or misleading presupposition. Like asking, “Have you stopped cheating on your taxes?”—any answer you give validates the lie built into the question.
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The presumption here is that race-conscious policies are immoral, un-American, and illegal.
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It frames race-based hiring considerations as inherently unjust.
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It ignores the fact that for more than 250 years, employment in America was explicitly and violently based on race—and against Black people.
To say “yes” is to forget. To ignore those facts is to ignore reality itself—and worse, to lie.
II. The Moral Reversal: From Victim to Villain
This question assumes we’re all starting from the same place. It pretends the last 400 years didn’t happen. It denies slavery, segregation, redlining, mass incarceration, and wealth extraction from Black communities.
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From the Emancipation Proclamation to the Civil Rights Act, America placed roadblock after roadblock in front of African-Americans.
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Every inch of progress was fought for and paid for in blood, legislation, and federal enforcement—not state generosity.
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Opponents now want us to believe the playing field is level. That is a lie.
They point to Black CEOs, athletes, and entertainers as proof that justice has been achieved. But individual success stories are not systemic solutions.
The presence of a few Black faces in high places does not erase structural inequality.
Here’s the truth:
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Race must be a factor—because the damage done was targeted.
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And so the repair must be targeted too.
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That’s not favoritism. That’s justice.
III. Justice Is Not Colorblind—Justice Is Corrective
Biblically and legally, justice is not the absence of discrimination. It is the presence of restitution.
Examples from scripture and law include:
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Exodus 21:24 – “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.”
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Luke 19:8 – Zacchaeus says: “If I have taken anything… I restore him fourfold.”
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Leviticus 6:4-5 – Restitution plus 20% must be paid to the person wronged.
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Exodus 22:1 – “If a man steals an ox… he shall restore five oxen.”
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Micah 6:8 – “What does the Lord require of you? To act justly…”
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Amos 5:24 – “Let justice roll down like waters…”
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Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression.”
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Jeremiah 22:3 – “Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor.”
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Romans 12:17-19 – “Repay no one evil for evil… leave room for God’s wrath.”
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Deuteronomy 16:20 – “Justice, and only justice, you shall follow…”
Our nation was founded on law—laws that often traced their roots to scripture. But America did not follow those laws when it came to Black people.
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Slavery was legalized and institutionalized.
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Racial hierarchy was codified into law.
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Justice was denied, even as scripture demanded restitution.
So why not for Black Americans today?
If the harm was race-based, the repair must be race-conscious. That’s not racism—it’s righteousness.
IV. The Hypocrisy of a “Christian” Nation
We claim to be a righteous nation, a Christian nation—but whether we live by those principles depends on who’s in power.
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African Americans have not received justice.
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We have received excuses, revisionist history, and targeted policy rollbacks.
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This administration isn’t just eliminating DEI. It’s eliminating truth.
We are told:
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We were “employees,” not slaves.
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Race is no longer relevant.
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Merit is the only measure.
But here’s the truth:
Merit is whiteness in disguise.
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Degrees were historically denied to Black students.
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Internships were accessible only through elite white networks.
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Resumes lack privilege polish—not talent.
Merit has always been distorted by racism.
V. The “Merit” Myth and the Truth About DEIA
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DEIA is restorative justice.
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Affirmative action is not racist—it is repair.
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Black candidates have always had to be better just to be considered equal.
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President Lyndon Johnson understood this in 1965—his executive order was pivotal in creating the Black middle class.
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Nobody hires unqualified Black candidates to fill quotas. That is a racist lie.
The fear is not about fairness—it is about losing the illusion of white superiority.
VI. Why Race Must Still Be Considered
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Yes—race must be a factor in hiring.
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Yes—because America has never stopped factoring it in.
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Yes—because the harm was deliberate, and the repair must be deliberate too.
This isn’t favoritism—it’s fairness. This isn’t injustice—it’s justice that corrects and restores.
When you ask whether race should be considered, but ignore that it always has been—only to the detriment of Black Americans—you are not asking an honest question. You are promoting a lie.
VII. Justice Isn’t Passive—It’s Active
Justice:
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Takes sides.
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Punishes wrong.
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Requires restitution.
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Admits truth when wrong has been done.
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Remembers what was stolen.
Neutrality is not justice—it is betrayal.
Conclusion
We don’t need more “neutrality.” We need truth.
We don’t need more colorblindness. We need justice.
Be bold. Be fearless. Speak the truth—because truth is a seed. When planted, it produces fruit after its kind. Truth begets truth.
Eric Lawrence Frazier, MBA
Your trusted advisor in business and wealth
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