DEI

I have always been curious about African American history because when I was growing up, the inquisitive kid that I was, there was no mention in my textbooks that we as a people individually or collectively contributed to anything.

As we enter this Black History Month, we find ourselves in a moment of sharp contrast. In the morning, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his “I Have a Dream” speech — a call for racial equity and unity. By midafternoon, President Trump has already reversed as much racial progress as possible within his first hours back in office, making it clear where his priorities lie.

The election of Donald Trump has, as expected, put diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the crosshairs. By executive order, signed the day of his inauguration, Trump has mandated the “termination” of “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences and activities in the Federal Government.”

Black buying power in America is expected to surge to $1.98 trillion in 2025, according to the Selig Center for Economic Growth. Strategically leveraged, that economic clout can wield enormous power over companies that are bending the knee to Trump’s mischaracterization of DEI.

Ayanna Lott-Pollard took the reins of the nonprofit organization Resilient Coders from longtime leader David Delmar Sentíes in 2022. And the past two years were, to use her words, “a whirlwind.”

Among a spate of executive actions signed on his first day in office, Trump signed one order ending “illegal DEI and ‘diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility’ (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government, under whatever name they appear.”

It seems that with the recent administration’s focus on eliminating [DEI] initiatives, there are a plethora of corporations that are falling in line and, although to some it’s not surprising, it is certainly causing mixed conversations in our community.

Donald Trump has issued a new memorandum to carry out his Inauguration Day executive order eliminating federal DEIA programs, by placing DEI employees on federal leave.

Corporations that have decided to end DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) initiatives are facing a backlash from civil rights organizations and the public.

A new ordinance under consideration by the Boston City Council would aim to center equity and inclusion in the work that the council and the rest of the city does in municipal governance.

There’s a new college in the capital of Texas that is casting itself as a new model for higher education, a departure from all that allegedly is wrong with the country’s colleges.

In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, and the protests that followed, companies and organizations across the country saw shifts in how they handled diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.