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EPA Office of General Counsel Staff Statement
EPA Office of General Counsel Staff Statement
We, the undersigned employees in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of General
Counsel (OGC), acting in our personal capacities, strongly oppose the recent Executive Order on
“Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping” signed September 22, 2020, and the related memos and
guidance issued by the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Personnel
Management.
These directives brand discussions of the origins and effects of racism, sexism, and other forms
of discrimination as “anti-American” and “divisive concepts.” This attempt to distort and
suppress honest attempts to grapple with these central issues in our country is corrosive and
dangerous, and it hinders necessary efforts to create healing for all.
The American Historical Association aptly lays bare the bankruptcy of this approach:
It makes no sense, practically, intellectually, or ethically (or even from the standpoint of
efficiency) to prohibit conversations that aim to heal division by understanding division.
Like everything else, division has a history, both in the United States and across the
world. Denying this history cannot erase it.
Rather than banning the “divisive concepts” from any educational venue—whether a
classroom, a museum, a national park, or a workplace training session—historians seek to
draw public attention to these concepts so that they can be discussed, debated, and
ultimately challenged. Unity is not achieved by pushing division under the rug; it can be
won even in the face of difference.1
We reject the approach of these directives. They are punitive and demeaning to federal
employees, contractors, and grantees—especially those who are Black, Indigenous, and People
of Color. These directives both perpetuate and amplify the harmful stereotyping they purport to
discourage. They paint us as afraid to examine ourselves and our history. We give the people of
the United States far more credit than does the Executive Order. Our people have the courage
and the wherewithal to engage in difficult discussions on contentious issues, and to walk away
broadened by the exchange of views.
Contrary to the accusations of divisiveness made in the directives, the trainings, events, and
discussions around race and gender that we in OGC have been participating in during recent
years have brought us closer to each other than ever before. Our community is strengthened by
the open and thoughtful exchange of experiences and perspectives. We are committed to creating
a work environment where all people are valued, respected, and treated fairly and equitably no
matter their race, position, gender identity, sexual orientation or other aspect of identity. We
know we still have work to do to achieve this and to make our office an inclusive and anti-racist
organization and we commit to continuing that work.
Signed:
1
https://www.historians.org/news-and-advocacy/aha-advocacy/aha-statement-urging-retraction-of-executive-order-p
rohibiting-the-inclusion-of-divisive-concepts-in-employee-training-sessions-(october-2020).
Cecilia De Robertis Susmita Dubey