Yuen: What is a ‘DEI hire’? If you use that term, we know what you really mean.

Whatever you think of programs aimed at fostering diversity, inclusion and equity, the term DEI has become more than a corporate abbreviation. In some circles, it’s akin to a racial slur.

The past year has given us some high-profile examples of how the term has been weaponized. When a bridge collapsed in Baltimore last spring due to a container ship crashing into it, an X user tweeted a viral post calling Mayor Brandon Scott, who is Black, the city’s “DEI mayor.” Similar DEI-related insults were then hurled at Maryland’s Black governor, Wes Moore. (After our I-35 bridge collapsed in 2007, I don’t recall anyone blaming the skin color or gender of then-Mayor R.T. Rybak or Gov. Tim Pawlenty — two white men — for the tragedy.)

Most recently, some Republican elected leaders have called Kamala Harris a “DEI hire,” even though she has served as attorney general and U.S. senator for the nation’s most populous state, and, of course, vice president.

When former President Donald Trump was asked whether this was acceptable language at the National Association of Black Journalists this summer, he derisively questioned what DEI meant and then rambled into an offensive speech suggesting Harris “happened to turn Black” only a few years ago. (If you’re unfamiliar with the term, DEI refers to policies and practices that institutions have put in place to broaden diversity, give people equal access to opportunities and create an inclusive environment.)

Beneath all of these shorthand jabs involving DEI is a not-so-subtle worldview: That the most qualified candidate is always a straight white man, and any hire who doesn’t fit that mold didn’t deserve to get the job.

Even seemingly well-meaning people can get trapped into this way of thinking. I’m reminded of an unsigned piece written by the editorial board from this very newspaper in 2018. The editorial pointed out that when Tim Walz picked Peggy Flanagan as his running mate as he sought the DFL endorsement for governor, she brought “geographic, racial and gender balance to the ticket.” Sure, that’s fair.

Then the piece went on to say, “But she is no token.”

Good grief. And regrettably, this was supposed to be an endorsement of Walz and Flanagan.

Can you imagine living your life feeling like you needed to reassure others that you are worthy of your own résumé? That you deserved every accomplishment you achieved? That’s why many people of color feel like we need to work twice as hard to be seen as equals, as if there’s an unsightly asterisk added to our every rung of success. Forget the awards and accolades for my obituary: Just let my loved ones make sure to etch “BUT SHE WAS NO TOKEN!” on my gravestone.

Although DEI wasn’t widely known in the 1970s, Debbie Montgomery was the subject of similar jabs and worse when she was knocking down barriers in law enforcement in St. Paul. She became the city’s first female police officer and was later elected to the City Council. For those who call people like Harris “DEI hires,” Montgomery told me, “They don’t think we’re qualified.”

“It’s just a substitute,” she said of the term. “They’re trying new words, trying to get into the 21st century for the same racist stuff they were doing before.”

Back when Montgomery had to share a locker room with about 20 men on the police force, she heard firsthand the disparaging remarks. “But I always snapped back,” she said. “I used to tell them, ‘Would you want this said to your wife or daughter?’ They’d hold their head down, because they wouldn’t.”

Those cops who denigrated Montgomery uttered their bigotry to her face and course-corrected when she called them out. Today, it’s unrealistic to think that we could personally “snap back” at each offensive tweet that is retweeted and amplified until the unfair sentiment becomes an unstoppable cultural tide.

Seena Hodges, a DEI consultant who is founder and president of the Woke Coach, said some people saying Harris is a “diversity hire” may just be repeating the insult, unaware of how hurtful it can be.

“It’s a way to distract from the narrative that people who are talented come from all sorts of walks of life,” she said. “It’s a way to diminish someone’s work, and it’s a way to diminish progress toward greater inclusion.”

DEI itself is under siege. Programs that many universities, businesses and other organizations instituted in the wake of unrest following the police killing of George Floyd are being axed or scaled back. That’s unfortunate.

When done right, DEI initiatives can help level the playing field for people from underrepresented communities and give them a sense of belonging once they’ve made it through the door. When DEI is just lip service, it undermines the hard work of marginalized employees who become disillusioned when they realize their leaders were never serious about change to begin with.

Five years ago, before presidential candidate Joe Biden selected his running mate, he didn’t help Harris’ reception when he told reporters that he preferred his No. 2 to be a woman or person of color. The daughter of Indian and Jamaican immigrants, Harris was instantly seen by critics as someone whose primary qualification was her racial and gender identity.

If you’re no fan of Harris, criticize her for her policy shortcomings or her questionable communication skills. But please don’t diminish her credentials with such a lazy attack — because she is indeed qualified.

The term “DEI hire” needs to go. If it’s a dog whistle for the far right, let it be a red flag for the rest of us. It speaks less about its target and volumes about the person uttering those words.