Diversity, equity, and inclusion, once the preoccupation of HR departments and dry corporate policy documents, has become the focus of activist shareholder campaigns, anti-DEI crusaders, and the president of the United States.
How did we get here? After the murder of George Floyd in 2020 and the racial reckoning that followed, companies moved quickly to showcase their efforts to increase diversity. Then in 2023, the Supreme Court overturned affirmative action in the college admissions process, adding momentum to an anti-DEI backlash fueled by people who believe those policies amount to reverse discrimination against groups like men and white people. As a result, several major companies rolled back their diversity programs in 2024, a trend that has only accelerated after President Donald Trump made it a priority to eliminate them in the federal government.
