Written by Nicholas Vetrisek
Democrats in the State Legislature have passed a bill that requires at least one racial minority on corporate boards. This comes after the state has already passed legislation requiring at least one woman on corporate boards.
The only thing standing in the way of AB 979 becoming law is Gov. Newsom’s signature, which is a certainty. The bill will require California-based companies to add at least one person to their corporate boards from an “underrepresented group” beginning in 2021.
The groups considered “underrepresented” are Black or African-American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Hawaiian or Alaska Native, or gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. By the end of 2022, companies that have at least nine board members will be required to have three directors from these groups., and those with four to eight board members will be required to have two “diverse” directors.
This bill will be signed into law, there is no way around it at this point. However, there are some ways that companies can easily deal with this law. AB 979 specifically states that “Director from an underrepresented community” means an individual who self-identifies as Black, African American, Hispanic, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, Native Hawaiian, or Alaska Native, or who self-identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.
Under those requirements, it’s not that difficult to pull an Elizabeth Warren and simply identify as Native American. In the UK, rapper Zuby is the strongest “woman” in the country simply because he chose to identify as one while he broke the female deadlift record. Companies should effectively do the same—call the Democrats’ bluff. There is no reason why a racist and poorly constructed bill should not be taken to its logical conclusion.
Aside from the fact that it would simply be humorous to have top level executives identifying as Black or Native American, it’s also an excellent act of civil disobedience that stands up to Democrat tyranny without technically violating any laws.
