Is DEI DOA?
The Trump administration’s war on DEI is ratcheting up.?
On day two of his second term, the president issued an executive order that rescinded diversity, equity, and inclusion policies within the federal government and ordered all federal employees in DEI positions on paid leave.?
But Trump has also made it clear that he doesn’t plan to stop there; the private sector’s in the crosshairs too. Part of the executive order directs the U.S. attorney general to submit recommendations that would “encourage” companies to “end illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI.” It also calls for federal agencies to identify up to nine large companies, non-profits, and colleges for “potential civil compliance investigations.”?
“That discrete number is a way of striking fear into organizations’ hearts,” Kenji Yoshino, a constitutional lawyer at NYU who advises on DEI, tells the New York Times. “They just don’t want to be one of those nine. Until those nine are announced, it’s going to cause others to be risk-averse.”
Even before Trump was sworn in, many companies saw the writing on the wall and began rolling back their DEI programs, including?institutions like Meta and 麦当劳 . But some, like 摩根大通 and Costco Wholesale , have stood firm, believing that it’s the right thing to do and that it gives companies a competitive edge.?
When asked about the pushback at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon responded defiantly: “Bring them on.”
To make sense of the debate, we’ve invited two prominent voices to defend and decry DEI.
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First up, we’ll hear from Katica Roy , a gender economist and co-founder of Pipeline, who argues that DEI is not just about fairness —?it’s a boon to the bottom line and crucial for strengthening the economy.
Then, we’ll hear from Carol Swain , a former professor and author. She writes that, as a Black woman, she “benefitted tremendously” from the Civil Rights Movement — but that DEI policies actually undo that progress by “ensuring the color of our skin renders us unequal under the law.”?
We want to hear from you. Tell us what side of the DEI divide you fall on in the comments.
Agile Accountability Analyst | Doctor of Business Administration | Master of Public Administration (Health Administration) | Driving Productivity and Efficiency through Automation, API Integration, and Data Mining.
3 周From the comments here, I see Americans want to be together, not apart. Get rid of the Democrat Party and their War on Freedom, Integration and Solidarity. They want every minority group to have a Flag. NO, we have ONE flag and that's it. Don't bury Jim Crow. Cremate him and flush his ashes down the toilet.
Retired
3 周After being active on my former company’s DEI committee for several years before I retired, I was dismayed to learn that one of the first actions taken by the new CEO who came into power just as I left the company was to disband both the DEI and the Women’s Connection committees. This was in the spring of 2023. At the time I thought it was an outlier, a need of a new CEO to assert his dominance in the wake of the retirement of his extremely effective, successful and humane CEO predecessor. In retrospect, perhaps the change was his effort to remake a wonderful corporate culture into his own small-minded image. A precursor of the dark days we are now living through. I thought I retired at the exact right moment as I could not have stood by in silence at the unraveling that took place. Watching what is unfolding today fills me with horror.
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3 周Very informative
Accomplished HR Executive | Passion for Organizational Development & Talent Strategy | Proven Record in Enhancing HR Operations and Employee Engagement
3 周Companies and people don't have to label something in order to practice it.
Managing Director, JLC Productions Interactive Communications, Inc.
4 周There’s a documentary about the Roslyn School District that serves as a stark reflection of the corruption we see in government today—corruption that will only continue to escalate. The film exposes, step by step, how officials manipulate the system and steal from the American people with impunity. There should be a rigorous exam before anyone is even considered for public office. Candidates must be beyond reproach, with a clean legal record, to earn the right to serve. Integrity and competence should be the minimum standard, not an afterthought. Caroline Kennedy, an educated and principled individual, courageously spoke the truth about a member of her own family being unfit for office. She did so without personal motive, simply because she values honesty and the well-being of the country. She has no political aspirations, no hidden agenda—just a commitment to truth. Remember when integrity was honored? When intelligence was respected? When truth mattered? In today’s political landscape, being an elected official is no longer a position of honor—it’s a tragedy.