| United Kingdom
| business
| ✓ Verified - theguardian.com
‘DEI is dead, equality isn’t’: experts chart path forward amid Trump’s culture war
#DEI#Trump Administration#Equality Strategies#Workplace Inclusion#Affirmative Action#Diversity Programs#Legal Challenges#Civil Rights
📌 Key Takeaways
DEI as an acronym is dead, but equality's principles persist
Authors distinguish between 'lifting' and 'leveling' approaches to inclusion
Legal challenges require new approaches to promoting diversity
Workplace diversity skills remain essential for organizational success
Strategies like 'embrace universality' offer paths forward
📖 Full Retelling
Two New York University law professors, Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow, have published a new book 'How Equality Wins' outlining strategies for equality's survival amid the Trump administration's 'war on woke' that has effectively killed DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) in the United States. Not long ago, DEI was a favored term among Fortune 500 CEOs and political elites, but it has since been blamed for everything from the Baltimore bridge collapse to natural disasters and has become a legal liability following the Supreme Court's 2023 affirmative action ruling. The authors argue that while the DEI acronym is dead, the underlying value of equality persists and requires new approaches to survive in the current political climate. Yoshino and Glasgow, longtime experts in anti-discrimination law, present several strategies for organizations seeking to promote inclusion without running afoul of changing legal and cultural norms. They distinguish between 'lifting' approaches that create targeted preferences and 'leveling' approaches that remove bias from systems, pointing to orchestral auditions as an example where blind processes significantly increased female representation without explicit preferences. The authors also propose 'embracing universality' by shifting from cohort-based to content-based programs and 'shifting from cohort to character' by exploring how the Supreme Court's decision still allows consideration of how race has affected an applicant's life. Despite the cultural and legal challenges, the authors remain hopeful that equality's principles can endure by being seen as part of the broader civil rights movement rather than just a set of HR practices, emphasizing that with the U.S. projected to become a majority-minority country by 2040, the skills of diversity and inclusion remain essential for organizational success.
🏷️ Themes
Culture Wars, Workplace Diversity, Legal Challenges, Civil Rights Evolution
Policies aiming to increase inclusion of people from marginalized groups
Affirmative action (also sometimes called reservations, alternative access, positive discrimination or positive action in various countries' laws and policies) refers to a set of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking to address systemic discrimination. Historically and i...
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are organizational frameworks that seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented, marginalized, or subject to discrimination based on identity or disability. These three ...
No entity connections available yet for this article.
Deep Analysis
Why It Matters
The decline of DEI programs amid political and legal backlash highlights the shift toward focusing on equality without the DEI label, underscoring the need for new strategies to maintain workplace inclusion and fairness. This shift signals that organizations must adapt to survive legal constraints while preserving inclusive values.
Context & Background
Trump administration's 'war on woke' has targeted DEI
Supreme Court overturned affirmative action in 2023, limiting targeted programs
Companies are pulling back from DEI initiatives, removing diversity webpages
What Happens Next
Yoshino and Glasgow propose strategies such as 'lifting' bias removal and 'embracing universality' to keep equality alive. Organizations may adopt these approaches to comply with legal limits while fostering inclusive practices. The broader debate will likely focus on redefining DEI under a new framework that separates bias mitigation from preferential treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'lifting' mean in the context of DEI?
Lifting refers to removing bias from hiring and promotion processes without giving preferential treatment to any group.
Can companies still discuss race in interviews after the Supreme Court decision?
Yes, they can ask candidates how race has affected their life, as the court allows such discussions.
Why is the term DEI considered dead?
The acronym has become politically charged and is being abandoned, but the underlying goal of equality remains.
Original Source
‘DEI is dead, equality isn’t’: experts chart path forward amid Trump’s culture war Two law professors outline strategies for equality’s survival in a Trumpian post-DEI era in new book How Equality Wins T he Trump administration’s “war on woke” seems to have claimed its biggest victim in DEI. Not so long ago, diversity, equity and inclusion was the favorite term of Fortune 500 CEOs and the political elite. More recently, it has been blamed for everything from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and the deadly Los Angeles wildfires to the crash between a regional jet and a helicopter in Washington DC. “DEI means people DIE,” Elon Musk wrote last year. Alongside culture-war attacks, DEI also became a legal liability after the US supreme court overturned affirmative action in higher education in 2023. Some of the most powerful companies that once touted their DEI policies have backed away from them. Webpages celebrating diversity have been taken down, teams dedicated to promoting diversity have dissipated and now there is seemingly no one left to defend DEI in its final days. That’s where Kenji Yoshino and David Glasgow, two law professors at New York University, are stepping in. Both are longtime experts in anti-discrimination law and have spent years consulting leaders on how to make their workplaces more inclusive. In their new book, How Equality Wins: A New Vision for an Inclusive America , Yoshino and Glasgow argue that the project of equality is far from over – but it’s in desperate need of a survival plan. Yoshino and Glasgow spoke to the Guardian recently about the new book and their hope that the essence of DEI can live past the political moment that killed it. “DEI itself, as an acronym, is dead,” Yoshino said. “But the underlying value of equality isn’t. Not by a long shot.” The authors outline several strategies for equality’s survival. One of the most important is understanding what advocates are actually fighting for and what they’re ...
