By John Krull
TheStatehouseFile.com
July 22, 2026
Many years ago, I was up for a job as an editorial writer for a newspaper on the West Coast.
It was in a city that was exploding with growth, much of which was fueled by massive investment from people fleeing Hong Kong ahead of and following China’s takeover of that city. The newspaper looking at me was scrambling for ways to reach and meet the needs of a surging Asian American population in the community it served.
I was one of two finalists for the job. I learned my competition was a female journalist of Chinese ancestry.
(That’s the thing about journalists. Even when we’re technically off the clock, we don’t stop reporting.)
I found and read some of her stuff. She was good—very good.
Was she better than me?
The answer to that question probably came down to taste and perspective, because it was obvious we both worked at the same level.
When I read her work, I figured she was going to get the job—because, if I were the one doing the hiring, she was the choice I’d make for that city and that readership.
That’s the way it worked out.
When the editor—a nice guy—phoned to give me the news, he started to stammer the standard script about how I shouldn’t take his decision as a reflection on my abilities, etc.
I chuckled and cut him off. I told him he’d made the call I would have made if I’d been in his chair.
“She will help you reach an entirely different group of readers, and you’ve got to serve them, too,” I told him.
This is the thing conservative culture warriors such as Indiana Gov. Mike Braun never grasp about affirmative action and diversity, equity and inclusion policies. They dismiss them as “woke” and contend that such policies are nothing more than acts of liberal altruism.
They even condemn affirmative action and DEI programs as examples of anti-white bigotry—an irony that is both embarrassing and painful, given Braun’s silence when real bigotry, such as Indiana Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith’s assaults on Muslims and their faith, rears its head.
Three years ago, when the U.S. Supreme Court decided that Harvard and the University of North Carolina could not consider race in determining which students to admit, not many people noted just how many businesses submitted amicus briefs in support of affirmative action and, by extension, DEI policies.
I read all the amicus briefs.
Their arguments were remarkably similar—and they certainly weren’t exercises in altruism.
No, what the businesses argued was that the United States was growing more diverse every day and this growth created both challenges and opportunities for them.
The opportunities, they said, came in the form of new markets—fresh populations to buy U.S. goods and services if the companies could find ways to reach them. The challenges were that they needed the right kind of workforce to do that.
These businesses needed, they argued, teams of educated and trained employees who were every bit as diverse as the markets they hoped to penetrate.
Please note that their argument wasn’t based on principles of social justice. The businesses weren’t interested in redressing historic wrongs or fulfilling high-flown notions of extending the American dream.
No, they were arguing for investing in affirmative action and DEI programs and policies because they believed there was money—lots of money—to be made from doing so.
And the more money these companies made, the more jobs they could provide.
Gov. Braun made one of his first moves in office gutting the commitment of Indiana’s state government to DEI policies. He continued that a few days ago by ending the state’s commitment to granting a certain percentage of its business to companies owned by women and minorities.
He said such commitments were “woke” and discriminatory.
Given that Indiana’s state government has been controlled by Republicans since Moses was an infant, it’s hard to believe the motivation for creating these policies was “woke.” And given Braun’s selective opposition to prejudice, it’s hard to take anything he says about discrimination seriously.
No, those policies were in place to help Indiana businesses foster new markets and create fresh jobs.
Not long ago, Indiana elected officials used to boast that our state was “open for business.”
Now, thanks to Mike Braun, not so much.
John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. The views expressed are those of the author only and should not be attributed to Franklin College. Also, the views and opinions expressed are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Indiana Citizen or any other affiliated organization.
