There's a great article on Jerry Kilgore's apparent indifference or hostility to diversity over at Claire Guthrie Gastanaga's blog, ChangeServant. On this issue, as on so many others, Jerry Kilgore's record is truly appalling. Read this:
The reason for the lack of progress in increasing the diversity of the Office, in general, and, particularly, at the higher ranks, can be explained by the disproportionate impact on women and minorities of layoffs made by Kilgore in October 2002, and Kilgore?s failure to make diversity a priority when making new hires.According to the complaint filed in Huang v. Kilgore, a case challenging the 2002 layoffs (on which I was co-counsel), among the fifty one (51) employees terminated by Kilgore in October 2002, 80% (41) were women, 88% (45) were over 40 years old, at least three (5%) of the terminated employees had physical or medical disabilities that were being accommodated by the Office and at least eight of those terminated (16%) were people of color.
The Office?s EEO-4 report covering 21 new hires during fiscal year 2003 shows that Kilgore hired no African American men, no Hispanics, no Asian and Pacific Islanders and only two African American women during this period. The new hire report filed in 2005 shows that among 39 new hires between July 1, 2004 and June 30, 2005, none were African American men, three were African American women, one was a Hispanic woman and one was a male Asian or Pacific Islander.
In other words, Jerry Kilgore is the ANTI-diversity candidate in this year's Virginia gubernatorial election So, if you agree with Jerry's friend, Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich, that diversity (Bob calls it "multicultiralism") is "crap," then definitely go vote for Jerry. If not, vote for Tim Kaine, a person who respects ALL the people -- white, black, Hispanic, Asian, men, women -- who make up our increasingly diverse society.