Why Democrats Are Finally Giving Up on DEI

There are few things Democrats love more than congratulating themselves for "making history." They have repeatedly elevated political figures based entirely on immutable characteristics such as race or gender, allowing them to celebrate their brave commitment to the cause of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In a remarkable turn of events, more and more Democrats are willing to admit that their DEI obsession has gone too far. They may finally be on the verge of realizing that charisma, competence, and other human qualities are also important factors to consider when choosing their leaders.

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Plans for first Charlie Kirk statue revealed by formerly woke institution



A Charlie Kirk debate statue has been commissioned by a college that was formerly known to be a bastion of leftism.

Kirk has been honored across the country after his murder on September 10, when he was shot and killed by a suspect who allegedly admitted in text messages that he hated Kirk and that their differences could not be "negotiated."

Since, Kirk has been honored by NFL teams and NASCAR drivers, for example, but it now seems the first statue is being commissioned in his honor.

'She let her pink hair dye fade and her mullet grow out before returning to school.'

A mock-up of the memorial was shared online that showed a bronzed Kirk sitting at a table with a microphone, reaching his hand out across the table.

The endearing design was shared by the New College of Florida on Tuesday, which announced it would "commission a statue of Charlie Kirk to honor his legacy and incredible work after his tragic assassination last week."

The school noted that the statue will be privately funded by "community leaders" and will "stand on campus as a commitment by New College to defend and fight for free speech and civil discourse in American life."

While NCF is seemingly the first institution or group of people anywhere to commission a statue for Kirk, the school has not always been at the forefront of conservatism by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it was once heralded for being a safe place for LGBTQ-themed leftism.

RELATED: Stop blaming schools — the crisis starts in America’s homes

NCF, located in Sarasota, Florida, boasts itself as being "rooted in reason [and] rising with purpose," but was described by a student in 2023 as "a tiny place of safety in this increasingly hostile state."

The student, who identified as "LGBTQ," told the New York Times that he or she was "praying that DeSantis would never find out about [the school]. But he did."

Later that year, Gov. Ron DeSantis followed through on a promise to rid the school of its "woke indoctrination" policies and subsequently eliminated its diversity office and fired its diversity chief and academic librarian. The Times noted both of these faculty members were gay. More than a third of faculty was eliminated — around 36 or so — with 125 students voluntarily leaving the school.

One outgoing student said that the school had lost everything that was "good and charming," while another remaining student was described as doing the following out of fear:

"She let her pink hair dye fade and her mullet grow out before returning to school," the Times wrote. "For fear, she said, that administrators and new students would judge her."

NCF has since increased its enrollment.

RELATED: Explosive alleged text messages between suspected Kirk killer and his transgender roommate obliterate liberal narrative

Candles and flowers are seen near a portrait of Charlie Kirk at a makeshift memorial during a candlelight vigil at Memorial Park in Provo, Utah, on September 12, 2025. (Photo by Melissa MAJCHRZAK / AFP) (Photo by MELISSA MAJCHRZAK/AFP via Getty Images)

According to a report by Fox 13 on Tuesday, NCF is seeing "record high enrollment."

About 900 students are enrolled in the college for this semester, the most in the school's history. With 300 new students, it marks the third year in a row that the school has reportedly exceeded enrollment expectations.

The location of the Kirk memorial statue has not yet been announced.

NCF was founded in 1960.

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Cracker Barrel folds again, tells customers they 'don't need to worry'



Cracker Barrel is walking back its country store revamps by removing the modern decor.

Cracker Barrel's infamous rebrand blunder in August changed its classic store model and even removed the Old-Timer character and the barrel itself from the restaurant logo. This caused massive consumer backlash and even drew criticism from one of the company's top investors.

'We hope that today's step reinforces that we hear you.'

The brand has gone through a long journey of reversing course in hopes of getting customers back, and as of Monday, that included completely abandoning the new, modern rebrand.

The company posted a video from Smyrna, Tennessee, showing a rebranded Cracker Barrel having its new logo and design completely disassembled. The letters of the new sign were removed from the storefront and replaced with the "Old Country Store" sign.

A display that had 20 tin cans on it was shown being taken out of the store along with a series of cutting boards that were also hung up on the wall inside the restaurant.

"Like any good relationship, sometimes you just need a little tune-up," the company wrote on X. "We're going back to the things that made us all fall in love in the first place."

Cracker Barrel then sent a message to customers that they need not be worried.

RELATED: Cracker Barrel saves its old-timey decor — but will we settle for a Potemkin past?

Cracker Barrel announced that it was "suspending" its remodels, according to Fox News, telling the outlet, "If your restaurant hasn't been remodeled, you don't need to worry; it won't be."

The spokesperson continued, "With our recent announcement that our 'Old-Timer' logo will remain, along with our bigger focus in the kitchen and on your plate, we hope that today's step reinforces that we hear you."

This was not the only big change the company made regarding its rebrand; it seemingly abandoned its diversity and overall woke initiatives, at least on paper.

RELATED: The decline of customer service — and why it matters

Photo by Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Over the past year, Cracker Barrel has consistently made changes to its once-robust "Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging" page.

The page was eventually changed to "culture and inclusion," but still included bizarre initiatives about "empowering" women and "strengthening Cracker Barrel's relationship to the LGBTQ+ community."

There was also a program called "Be Bold," which had a mission to develop "Black Leaders" through "allyship, mentorship, and education."

At the time of this writing, no diversity messages or initiatives appear on the company "Culture & Belonging" page. This was replaced with "The Herschel Way," honoring the Old-Timer with messages of "warmth," serving "with a story," and "going above and beyond" for guests.

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Locked up for a joke. It can’t happen here ... can it?



A comedian lands at Heathrow and finds himself met by officers as though he posed a terrorist threat. His offense? A social media joke about trans people. He’s released on bail on the condition he doesn’t post on X.

Another man prays silently outside the “safe zone” of an abortion clinic and is hauled off, given a two-year conditional discharge, and fined £9,000 (just over $12,000).

We hope Britain pulls up from its nosedive, but let’s not delude ourselves. America faces the same temptations.

A third man waves the Union Jack at a pro-Palestinian march in England — only to be arrested. Reuters quickly ran interference: not for the flag, they said, but for a “racially aggravated public order offence” and “homophobic abuse.” As if that makes it better.

And we’re still not mentioning the Islamic child-rape scandal that grows worse with every new revelation. The United States watches Britain collapse into a kind of Reformation-era persecution, this time in the name of Islam, paganism, and sexual license. Americans shake their heads, maybe reassure themselves: We fought a revolution to escape this. Charles II jailed Christians. Charles III praises Islam. And we have the First Amendment. Case closed.

Not so fast. We may be on the same road. Once you begin policing speech to protect feelings, the end point looks very much like the UK. And we have plenty of warning signs.

The university test case

Universities may be the clearest early indicator. Professors tell us every profession must “look like” society — except their own. If a field is 97% male, they call it systemic bias. But in the academy itself, where atheists and leftists dominate, they see no problem.

The numbers don’t lie. At Arizona State University, a December 2024 survey found just 19 Republicans among 544 faculty members. At the University of Arizona, only eight Republicans out of 369. Entire departments lacked a single Republican. A 2023 Harvard Crimson study found only 2.5% of Harvard faculty identify as conservative. If any other profession looked this skewed, professors would scream about bias. In their case, they call it “normal.”

And the consequences? They’ll defend freedom of speech for burning an American flag. Burn a trans flag, and suddenly you’ve committed a hate crime. That is one step removed from Graham Linehan’s arrest in the UK for an X post.

Censorship in practice

Students already know what this means. A 2022 FIRE survey found they self-censor in class. They parrot leftist slogans on gender and race, not because they believe them, but because they want the grade. We are teaching them to lie to advance. No one is being asked to confess Christ; they are being asked to confess Ibram Kendi and John Money.

I’ve seen it firsthand. At ASU’s Honors College, faculty blocked Charlie Kirk, Dennis Prager, and Robert Kiyosaki from speaking, smearing them as “white supremacists.” That label alone was enough to push the event off campus. These professors weren’t interested in argument. They wanted silence.

RELATED: Why the English flag now terrifies the regime

Blaze Media illustration

Truth vs. lies

How do they justify it? With “hate crimes.” Not crimes that incite violence, but crimes of opinion. Disagree with LGBTQ ideology? That’s hate. Straight to jail. Professors sleep well at night because we’ve accepted their framework: society divided into oppressors and oppressed. Bad outcomes aren’t the result of choices, but of systemic injustice. Victims must be coddled, even at the expense of truth.

Once you accept that, feelings erase the First Amendment.

We need a spine. Sexual sins are real and destructive. Abortion ends a life. A comedian may say this through jokes; a philosopher may say it through essays. Either way, it’s the truth. The mob can gnash its teeth, plug its ears, strip away free speech, and jail comedians, but reality doesn’t change.

We hope Britain pulls up from its nosedive, but let’s not delude ourselves. America faces the same temptations. We must pray for the end of abortion, speak plainly about the damage sexual ideology inflicts on children, and reject the false frame of “oppressors and oppressed.” The real categories are truth and lies. Choose wisely, while you still can.

Penske Tries To Bud Light Itself With Snide Anti-DHS Post

On Wednesday, Penske Truck Rental tried to Bud Light itself by releasing a virtue-signaling statement criticizing the Department of Homeland Security for using one of its vehicles during an immigration enforcement operation. “Penske Truck Rental is aware of recent reports and videos regarding a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) operation in Los Angeles,” the statement […]

Congress Broke The Military, Now It Must Fix It

Only Congress can fully undo the mess it made.

Is The YMCA Using Tax Dollars To Push Trans Agenda? Parents Group Urges Congress To Find Out

'Our letter highlights the urgent need for an investigation into the YMCA’s federal funding since the organization continues to allow for radical gender policies that violate Title IX.'

'Too Much' whiteness in Lena Dunham's new Netflix show? Just look BEHIND the camera, says 'Girls' star



Actress, writer, and former leftist "It girl" Lena Dunham is back — older, wiser, and ready to confront the biggest mistake she made with the hit HBO show that put her on the map: It simply wasn't woke enough.

Dunham vows this won't happen with her latest venture, the romantic comedy "Too Much." The Netflix series comes more than a decade after the 2012 debut of "Girls," which brought instant acclaim — and near-instant backlash — for star and creator Dunham.

'The funny thing is that she would probably still be under fire if her cast was more diverse.'

"Girls" wrapped up its sixth and final season in April 2017; since then, Dunham has starred in or written one-off television episodes while acting in about a dozen films.

But after all this time, the legacy of "Girls" has returned to haunt her.

White what you know

While conservatives dismissed "Girls" for its self-indulgent depiction of promiscuity as "sexual empowerment," its harshest critics were arguably liberals.

As soon as it aired, "Girls" was heckled from the far corners of leftism for its apparent lack of "diversity." Dunham admitted at the time that the nearly all-white skin tones in the show were simply a reflection of her life, since she is "half-Jew, half-WASP."

This time around, Dunham is determined to affirm her loyalty to progressive ideology before anyone can question it.

In 2012, Dunham did damage control by going on NPR's "Fresh Air" to say she was trying to avoid "tokenism in [her] casting" and opted for her chosen actresses because she assumed the "experience of an African American girl and a white girl" were "drastically different."

You see, it wasn't indifference that made her exclude black characters — but respect.

Pre-emptive apology

While that may have worked almost a decade ago, it's not going to fly in 2025 — and Dunham knows it. That's why she's doing a kind of pre-emptive apology tour before "Too Much" even premieres.

RELATED: 'Superman' director faces backlash for 'racist' India mention; responds with heroic backpedaling

Lena Dunham (Photo by J. Countess/Getty Images)

In a recent interview with the Independent, Dunham suggested that the real culprit in the "Girls" diversity imbroglio was the entertainment industry as a whole.

"I think one of the profound issues around ''Girls' ... was that there was so little real estate for women in television that if you had a show called 'Girls,' which is such a monolithic name, it sounds like it's describing all the girls in all the places."

Dunham added that she understands how it would be "really disappointing to people" if they felt the show did not reflect "a multitude of experiences."

The 39-year-old went on to explain that she did "like the conversation" about how woke her show needs to be and said it would not be a problem for the new Netflix series.

I spy ... DEI

To that end, Dunham revealed she has pledged her allegiance to diversity in both the production and casting of "Too Much."

Yes, like "Girls," "Too Much" puts white, affluent characters front and center, with little to no room for people of color. But Dunham urges viewers to think of all the non-whites working behind the scenes to bring this vision to the screen.

"The thing I have really come to believe is that one of the most important things is not just diversity in front of the camera, but it's diversity behind the camera," she told the Independent. "As a producer, one of my goals is to bring a lot of different voices into a position where they can tell their story."

RELATED: All in the family: Hollywood golden boy Pedro Pascal's loony leftist pedigree

Lena Dunham (L) and Megan Stalter (Photo by Ben Montgomery/Getty Images)

Nice try

While impressive, Dunham's deft butt-covering may not be enough to satisfy a baying leftist mob always on the hunt for a new victim, warns culture writer Natasha Biase.

"The funny thing is that she would probably still be under fire if her cast was more diverse," Biase told Blaze News.

If anything, Dunham is trying too hard, continued Biase.

"I understand that we live in a diverse world, and film and television are supposed to be a reflection of that, but we are also often told to write what we know, and that’s exactly what Lena Dunham did."

Dunham bending the knee and "forcing herself" to write characters to which she can't relate would arguably be seen as "more controversial and irresponsible," Biase added, implying that Dunham is in a no-win situation.

"Our girl's about to learn that you can’t please the mob!"

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'As a woman': Duke Law quietly pushes insane diversity statements for law journal applicants



Duke Law at Duke University distributed an information packet that puts bizarre diversity sentiments front and center for possible applicants.

More than two years after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions, some major schools are still in the weeds regarding preferential treatment of candidates based on skin color or ethnicity.

This week, Duke Law's very own publication meant to produce "scholarship by premier legal thinkers" was exposed for heavily encouraging students to include diversity statements in their applications to work for the journal.

'To combat the lack of diversity in legal academia, I plan to use my voice ...'

Duke Law Journal has been around since 1951, but likely did not advise students to write about their Asian-American "privilege" or experience as a "Middle Eastern Jewish woman" in order to work for the publication more than 70 years ago.

As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, those types of topics are precisely what Duke Law Journal suggests second-year students write about in their application to become staff editors.

The Free Beacon acquired a 2024 information packet sent to Duke Law's affinity groups, in which the journal gave advice on, and provided examples of, personal statements that could help students land a position. The packet was distributed only to the affinity groups, according to the outlet's sources.

Under possible topics, the first suggestion given in the packet is "your upbringing or personal identity and how it has shaped your perspectives and experiences."

Then, when describing how the personal statements are graded, the first point asks students how a person's perspective could contribute to Duke Law Journal's goals of "promoting diverse perspectives in legal academia."

RELATED: Exposed: Harvard's elite law journal accused of discriminating against white men

— (@)

The notes specifically mention being a member of an "underrepresented or marginalized group" or a "non-traditional student" as being worth mentioning.

The packet then suggests students write about ways in which they have "meaningfully advanced the interests of diverse communities."

These suggestions are immediately followed by personal statement examples, which journalist Aaron Sibarium included in a series of posts on X. The samples included redacted portions, signaling that they were from real applicants.

The first example began, "To combat the lack of diversity in legal academia, I plan to use my voice at Duke Law Journals, through article selection, critiques, and writing my note on pertinent legal issues that affect the Asian-American community."

The statement sample continued, saying that the student wanted to ensure diversity in the legal academic profession, while advocating for "institutional and issue-area diversity."

The second sample personal statement explained how the student's experience could "be useful in promoting diversity," adding that "Asian-Americans" need to have community leaders who "understand and reflect our experiences."

Yet another Asian applicant wrote, "As an Asian-American woman and a daughter of immigrants, I am afforded with different perspectives, experiences, and privileges."

Another applicant broke the trend, though, and instead claimed that her "unique perspective as a Middle Eastern Jewish woman" could "prove useful" as she explores her "intersectional identity in both academic and professional settings."

RELATED: 'Gotta keep it quiet': Dean of students who kept DEI alive at UNC reaps the whirlwind

Duke Law Journal's application process appears to reflect a current, disturbing trend of circumventing bans against diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at once-prestigious institutions.

Harvard's law journal was also exposed recently for allegedly picking articles "on the basis of race," in such a way that the race of the legal scholar is "as, if not more, important than the merit of the submission," the Civil Rights Office wrote.

Duke Law Journal applicants, if they can make it through the process, can look forward to writing on an array of progressive topics. Under "articles you might work on," the journal included sample titles like, "Abortion Disorientation," "Reparations for Project One Hundred Thousand," and "Lutie Lytle Black Women's Scholarship Workshop."

Neither Duke's general counsel nor Duke University's media relations team responded to Blaze News' request for comment.

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L.A. Sheriff’s Dept. Apologizes For Post Saying ‘Hearts Go Out To Victims’ Of U.S. Strike On Iran’s Nuclear Sites

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department on Sunday removed and apologized for its social media post sympathizing with the “victims and families impacted” by the U.S.’s strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, which were bombed Saturday night. The original post stated, “Our hearts go out to the victims and families impacted by the recent bombings in Iran,” […]