Montgomery County reiterates DEI importance amid federal crackdowns

As efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion programming and personnel continue at the federal level with President Donald Trump’s directed executive actions, the commitment from Montgomery County Commissioners’ leadership is not waivering.

Montgomery County Commissioners’ Chairman Neil Makhija and Vice Chairwoman Jamila Winder used the opening comments of the Feb. 6 board meeting to highlight the county’s stance.

“What I realized as I spend so much time on social media and watching the news is that DEI is clearly misunderstood,” Winder said. “At its core, DEI is about opportunity. It ensures that every person regardless of background has the access to the same resources, support and pathways that help us become successful. It’s not about us excluding anyone. It’s about expanding the table so everyone has a seat.

“Yet DEI has become a misrepresented concept, especially over the last couple of weeks, often framed as divisive when in reality it’s about fairness and belonging,” she continued. “Some believe it prioritizes one group over another, but the truth is that when we remove barriers and create a level playing field, everyone in our community benefits.”

Winder took a moment to spotlight several groups, including people of color, women, seniors, veterans, those with disabilities, people from rural or low income areas, religious minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

Makhija noted the importance of providing equitable services to county residents and employees such as disability accommodations, paid family leave and voting materials available in multiple languages.

“When we have these debates and conversations about what inclusion means, I hope we think about the fact that we’re simply opening up government to more people who are residents, and the services that we are supposed to provide and are commanded to do so. That’s been the priority for me,” he said.

DEI programming has come under fire in the early days of President’s Trump’s return to office. In Montgomery County, Diversity, Equity Inclusion Chief Donna Richemond has been leading the suburban county department since its inception in 2021, serving as the office’s sole employee and working “to ensure that county policies, programs, and practices reflect the principles of fairness, respect and inclusion,” a county spokesperson said.

The county’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion increased its division four-fold as county commissioners authorized the creation of up to four new positions, including a director of immigrant affairs, a senior administrative assistant and two deputy chiefs, one focusing on data and the other training, according to findings.

“I think unfortunately, there’s a sense out there that it is somehow at odds with the idea of merit, and the facts and the data that I’ve seen have all shown the opposite, which is our efforts at being more inclusive, ensuring that we represent every community in the county, ensuring that when we make decisions about hiring or how we run a major organization like a county government that by ensuring that we have inclusive practices, we’re achieving the excellence and bringing on the most qualified people we possibly could,” Makhija said.

The Jan. 9 salary board vote on the new positions was split along party lines, with Democrats Makhija and Winder voting in favor of the action while Republican minority Commissioner Tom DiBello opposed it.

DiBello told MediaNews Group last month that he “didn’t feel these positions were necessary at this point in time.” DiBello added that “from a DEI perspective, I just don’t feel that it’s something that we need in the county anymore.”

“We have a lot going on,” DiBello said. “There was just a 9 percent tax increase that was approved, which I voted no on, and I feel we need to go back and evaluate new hires and make really smart determinations … because it is taxpayer money.”

The decision to hire ACLAMO CEO and Executive Director Nelly Jiménez-Arévalo as Montgomery County’s new director of immigrant affairs passed in a similar 2-1 fashion during a Feb. 6 salary board meeting.

Jiménez-Arévalo resigned from her post at ACLAMO but will stay on until March 7, she said. She’s expected to start in her new role in mid-March.

“Here in Montgomery County, our commitment to DEI is not about checking a box, it’s about building stronger communities, workplaces and institutions where people feel valued and empowered,” Winder said. “It’s about recognizing disparities, addressing them with intention and ensuring that no one, I mean no one, is left behind.

“We must continue to have these conversations, push past the misconception, not be complicit and remain committed to the work of equity because a county that works for everyone is a county that truly thrives,” she continued.

Federal funding freeze concerns

In addition to bolstering diversity, equity and inclusion efforts across Montgomery County, officials remained on high alert as a prospective federal funding freeze posed a great threat to operations. Montgomery County receives more than $140 million in federal grant funding each year, according to a county statement.

Elected officials in Montgomery County responded to a memo from Trump’s administration announcing plans to freeze federal funding that sent shock waves through the nation in late January. The looming freeze was temporarily blocked on Jan. 28 by a federal judge and the U.S. Office of Budget Management-issued memorandum was rescinded a day later.

“There are still, however, offices that are affected, and at the very least, uncertain about the funding they can get,” Makhija said.

Makhija spotlighted several offices with a heavy reliance on federal funds. In addition to the county’s Office of Public Health, the Office of Mental Health receives $1.5 million in federal funding serving 60,000 people per year and the county’s Office of Children and Youth receives $8.5 million serving 5,800 families, or more than 10,000 people per year.

Makhija stressed that “we’re going to continue working with our departments, as well as other community groups that rely on federal funding, to make sure we are prepared should there be changes or freezes, or cuts that come so we can best adapt to those…”

Makhija stressed the importance of continued dialogue with the county’s congressional representatives — U.S. Reps. Madeleine Dean, D-4th Dist., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st Dist. and Mary Gay Scanlon, D-5th Dist. — in order to impress upon them the importance of “the critical resources that we need for our residents.”

“I think part of what I hope that we can do as a county is fully tell the story of what that funding means, what does it mean for it to disappear and how we can effectively advocate at the federal level for the resources that we know we need and we rely on as a county,” Makhija said.

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