DEI, or Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is defined as a grouping of practices and policies that promote groups of people who have historically been dismissed or discriminated against through inclusive treatment.
The concept of DEI was first introduced in governmental policies during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. In response to mounting calls to integrate American society, the government passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which made it illegal to segregate public spaces based on race, gender, or national origin, and outlawed employment-based discrimination. After years of systematic oppression of people of color fueled by racist ideologies and legal precedent, the legislation put an end to the Jim Crow era of American life that had lasted for nearly a century.
Sixty years later, more and more policies like Executive Order 13985, which curtails racial inequity in federal agencies’ implementation of laws, have been enacted to advance racial equity and policy to continue addressing the pervasion of racism in the U.S. Additionally, Juneteenth, a new federal holiday commemorating the day American slavery ended when the last slaves were freed in Texas, celebrates an additional win for African-Americans in the United States by showing recognition for their history and struggle.
On the first day of his second term in office, President Donald Trump rescinded Executive Order 13985. To take its place, President Trump has signed Executive Order 14151, effectively ordering a purge of all DEI programs from the federal government. He justified these cuts by calling such initiatives “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral.”
With the misguided goal of reforming the country as a color-blind meritocracy, his regressive viewpoints and personal agendas are seeping into governmental doctrine. By eliminating DEI programs, the government reinforces that only certain people are built for certain jobs.
For example, Trump recently fired Air Force General Charles Brown, a Black four-star general who was nominated by Trump himself during his first term, and replaced him with General Dan Caine, a white three-star general in retirement. The same day, the first female chief of naval operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, was fired via presidential decree and will most likely be replaced with a male officer. These actions, in direct contradiction to the DEI programs prioritizing diversity, highlight Trump’s nominally ‘color-blind’ attempts to reinforce a white male-led workforce. It is revealing of his undemocratic viewpoints and agendas as well as his attempts to divide the country through discrimination.
Detractors of DEI programs such as Trump will point to alleged cases of DEI hires, people hired solely based on diversity and not merit, holding the economy back, but this worn out belief could not be more inaccurate. In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 56 out of 77 adults of multiple ethnic backgrounds interviewed expressed that they believe diversity benefits the country. This not only shows this removal goes against the American people’s voices, but getting rid of DEI programs and policies would result in a productivity and efficiency deficit for businesses that are both corporate and small. Additional research produced by McKinsey & Co, a management consulting firm, shows that companies with more ethnic diversity are 39% more likely to surpass companies with low ethnic diversity in terms of performance. Without these programs that provided opportunities for people from a minority group to advance in the corporate world, businesses and the economy both suffer. For a president and administration highly concerned about the current state of the economy and “mak[ing] America affordable again,” slashing DEI programs actually hurts the economic growth of the nation. Trump’s anti-DEI initiatives will make the U.S. less affordable if business productivity declines and people aren’t getting paid what they used to.
Those arguing against DEI policies and programs believe that they are unfair to white people, specifically white men. They believe that if two people, one a white man and the other a woman of color, were competing for the same job position, both equally qualified to do the job, the employer would unfairly hire the woman in an effort to increase diversity. While this may seem like favoritism or “reverse racism,” it is not unequal when viewed from a historical standpoint. For years, and even still to this day, people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community have faced inhumane discrimination. The U.S. Department of Labor released data revealing that in 2023, Black women faced a deficit of $42.7 billion in wages in comparison to white men, as well as Hispanic women losing $53.3 billion. This racial and gender pay gap is real. Now, these DEI programs, from a standpoint on what is fair and just, are necessary because they are making up for that lost time when members of these communities could have succeeded and been provided more opportunities in the U.S. in decades past.
Furthermore, not only does keeping DEI align with democratic, logical, and economic standpoints, but DEI programs should be a moral and ethical obligation for the United States government. A history of racism and inequality dampens the success of minority groups in the U.S. as it systematically makes it significantly harder for them to succeed in employment and their financial advancement. DEI policies were implemented to help level an uneven playing field for minority groups, and they are necessary for the success of the United States and must remain in order to uplift minorities who have been put down for far too long.
