Unraveling the Turmoil Surrounding DEI: What's the Current State?

2020 was an eye-opening year.  I know many of us pray that history never repeats itself.  From a global pandemic, lockdowns, the murder of George Floyd, serious economic downturn to even washing groceries (smh), we found ourselves living in a nightmare! Life was truly life-ing with no signs of letting up!  We were all seeking answers to the most unfortunate, unprecedented (let’s find a new word) events.

Amid global chaos, we saw a glimmer of “hope” - companies were finally taking Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) seriously.  I vividly remember the  immediate response to the George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter demonstrations around the world. Businesses took a stand against racism and committed to fighting against injustices. There was an increase of people hired/promoted to Head or Chief of Diversity (in some instances these were C-suite positions).  Companies vowed to do more equitable hiring, allocate financial support to more diverse and inclusive efforts, and support diverse vendors/contractors.  Even the federal government saw the need to stand firm on DEI with the establishment of the U.S. House of Representatives Diversity and Inclusion.  

With all this promise and hope to create more conscious  workplace environments for everyone, in less than 4 years,  we are now seeing a swift backlash against DEI efforts. In particular, DEI focused workers have been laid off in droves over the last year, companies are walking back commitments, Chief Diversity positions are at an all-time low, and many who are still in DEI positions feel they are underutilized or lack funding and/or influence to make a real difference.  Essence magazine reported in 2022 that out of fear of a pending recession companies were reassessing their bottom lines and many quietly divested from commitments to diversity and inclusion.  According to Daniel Oppong, “founder of the Courage Collective, companies are more interested in managing public perception than they are interested and invested in real change.”   Now that’s a word.

What happened?  Why the about face? I’ll tell you: politics happened. Here are a few calculated efforts that contributed to the obvious retreat from DEI:

·      The House of Representatives Office of Diversity and Inclusion was defunded and disbanded;

·      Lawmakers, corporate leaders, and conservative activists joined together in calls to halt all DEI activities. Labeling them as unfair practices, un-American, and racists;

·      The Supreme Court gutted Affirmative Action thus ending race conscious admissions; and

·      Anti-DEI laws at the local, state, and federal government level.  

This uptick in attempts to destroy DEI progress is unfortunate, but I know many of us saw it coming. It is up to us as a collective to continue applying pressure on companies to hold true to DEI commitments. We should:

·      Raise our voices in internal meetings.

·      Point out that diverse thoughts, voices, and perspectives are missing at the decision-making table.

·      Be part of the hiring processes (if that’s an option at your company)

·      Ensure that we share job opportunities within our black and brown networks to help diversify some of the career fields that traditionally do not have people of color at the table.

·      Demand the continuation of ERGs.

·      Uplift and support any current DEI efforts in the place where we live, work, and play.

·      Advocate for local, state, and federal support of DEI, and the reversal of laws that band even the discussion of DEI in colleges and universities.