UMVA has learned that a Republican billionaire running for Georgia governor is hiding a shocking secret that could sink his campaign: a nonprofit he founded promoted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in the very same year he vowed to ban them.
The billionaire, who has pledged to prohibit DEI programs in state government, public universities, and classrooms, was the founder and CEO of goBeyondProfit, a Georgia nonprofit that launched a DEI initiative in 2021 focused on keeping "race in mind" in the workplace.
According to information obtained by UMVA, the initiative included a video series for CEOs to learn the "do's and don'ts" of DEI, featuring experts who argued that "doing nothing" on DEI was "cringe worthy" and framed workplace race issues through slavery and Jim Crow.
The nonprofit's video series also promoted critical race theorist Ibram X. Kendi's book "How To Be An Anti-Racist," which has been characterized by critics as a leading text of modern race-conscious ideology that rejects colorblindness and defends discrimination when used to achieve equity.
One of the videos featured Matthew Harrison, a former DEI executive at Jackson Healthcare, touting how the company increased the share of "people of color" hired into new roles from 9% to 25% after implementing DEI measures discussed in the initiative's instructional videos.
Jackson's business orbit has a history of DEI-friendly messaging and efforts that could complicate one of his central campaign pitches: that he is the candidate best positioned to root out DEI and restore merit-based policies in Georgia.
The billionaire's campaign platform says he would prohibit DEI programs in state government, public universities, and classrooms, while his campaign messaging has vowed to "ban DEI insanity" and "criminalize reverse discrimination."
Jackson's campaign spokesperson responded to questions about the nonprofit's past DEI efforts by saying that "Rick hires like the Georgia Bulldogs: only the best players hit the field, and he will prohibit reverse discrimination as governor."
The revelation about the DEI past of Jackson's companies comes as a brutal Georgia GOP gubernatorial primary nears its conclusion, with the election slated for next Tuesday, followed by the general election in November.
At times, the primary race has centered on which candidate can claim the mantle of President Donald Trump's fiercest ally, with Georgia Lt. Gov Burt Jones having Trump's formal endorsement and Jackson trying to run as a Trump-style outsider.
Jackson has blasted Jones as part of the political establishment, while likening Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, another one of his main primary opponents, to the Biblical character "Judas" for being disloyal to Trump during his efforts to contest the 2020 election.
