What began as a noble push for diversity, equity, and inclusion has quietly morphed into a troubling new chapter of systemic exclusion. I have lived it up close. For the past four years, I have been led through endless forms, repetitive meetings, and portals no one checks, all under the banner of DEI. Yet the real decision-makers, the ones with the authority to approve media buys worth millions, were never in the room. This is not inclusion. This is segregation in a suit and tie. It is Jim Crow 2.0.
In the advertising and media buying space, the DEI department is often the gatekeeper, without any keys. After George Floyd's murder, some agencies issued public promises: they would direct meaningful advertising dollars toward Black-owned media companies. They put it in press releases and held press conferences. But once the headlines faded, so did the commitments. The "Black-owned" category quietly morphed into "multicultural," diluting the very audience they claimed they wanted to support. Suddenly, we were in a pool with groups that had never been systemically excluded in the same way.
