Premise:
When the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police
set off a wave of racial unrest across the country in
2020, corporate America and universities responded
swiftly with renewed and public commitments to
diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Major companies created new DEI positions or
expandedteams dedicated to(DEI and the phrase
became a buzzword across the social landscape. Many
corporate leaders(pledged to hire more people of
color,(removed branding perceived to
beracist,(and(invested in historically Black colleges.
At the time, the efforts were largely met with public
support,(amid a so-called “racial reckoning” that laid
bare a slew of systemic inequities in American society,
including theworkplace.
Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity
Four years later, however, a firestorm of debate about DEI
efforts has taken over the public sphere.
DEI advocates frame their trainings and initiates as
those that will teach employees and students how to
unlearn stereotypes against certain groups, respect
each other’s differences, and hire or admit people of
color without overlooking them because of personal
bias.
