DEI - Default Explanation Invoked

I’m probably going to lose some acquaintances today before they even read this article. I know full well that speaking on any charged topic risks offending people who feel passionately about it, one way or the other. I hope this is received in the spirit in which I’m writing it, because I need to write it.

A year ago, I wrote about a different hero in Black history each day throughout February. That series sparked the most engaging conversation I have ever been a part of on LinkedIn, and I fully intended to do the same this year. But transparently, I didn’t—because I’m so disheartened by the weaponization of DEI in recent months.

There were plenty of things I didn’t like about the rush to roll out DEI efforts in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. The biggest issue? The vast majority of them were empty gestures.

“We at (insert company here) believe that representation is important and will be actively increasing our efforts to add diversity to our executive/management/leadership ranks.”

For many companies, that statement was the beginning and end of their DEI efforts. So, when the backlash against DEI came, it was easy to simply paint over the slogans and pretend none of it ever happened—both figuratively and literally. That part is disappointing, but not surprising. What I didn’t expect was the outright weaponization of the term DEI.

Does Everyone Ignore What Is Going On?

DEI has been twisted from its original purpose and turned into a slur—one that implies those benefiting from DEI initiatives aren’t competent enough to achieve their positions on merit.

And once you accept the flawed premise that all DEI hires are, by definition, unqualified, you arrive at the point where simply seeing a woman or a minority in any role justifies calling them a DEI hire—publicly, without evidence or reason.

As an African American executive, this means my own achievements are fair game for race-based critiques. Every accomplishment is scrutinized as if I don’t deserve my role, while any failure—no matter how minor—is used not just to discredit me, but to reinforce the false narrative that all minorities are unqualified.

And it’s not just about individuals. The past six months have made it painfully clear that DEI might as well stand for “Didn’t Even Investigate,” as it has become the default explanation for any tragedy or failure, regardless of facts or context.

An assassination attempt on a major political candidate? Immediately, people question whether the female Secret Service agent was hired through DEI.

A mechanical failure on a plane? Before investigators can even determine the cause, DEI is blamedfor supposedly lowering hiring standards at Boeing.

Last week’s tragic airplane incident in DC hadn’t even fully unfolded before the conversation turned to DEI. And now, I hear arguments that DEI is so “distracting” that its mere existence has stressed out workers to the point that their job performance is impacted.

Let’s be clear: DEI is now being blamed even when no minorities are involved.

We’ve crossed a tipping point where the presence—or even the idea—of diversity is enough to be scapegoated for any and every failure.

This Madness Must Stop

Right now, most people are using the term DEI to mean “Diversity Erased Immediately.”

It’s time to push back on this narrative. DEI was never about hiring unqualified people—it was about expanding opportunity. It was about ensuring that talent, skill, and potential weren’t overlooked because of bias.

The fact that DEI is now being used as a catch-all excuse for failure isn’t just insulting—it’s dangerous. Because when we allow baseless scapegoating to go unchecked, we erode trust in real expertise, real accountability, and real progress.

We must demand better.

We can and should critique DEI initiatives. Anyone hiring a person solely because of their demographic—despite lacking the skills for the role—is making a mockery of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

But the problem today is that so much of the conversation about DEI is dishonest that we might as well change the acronym to “Don’t Expect Integrity.”