If your company is scaling back or dismantling DEI programming, it’s time to ask the hard questions: What does that decision say about your organization’s true intentions? Was its DEI commitment ever rooted in genuine belief, or was it just a response to public pressure and social trends? Were their initiatives designed to create real, lasting change, or were they just a convenient way to ride the wave and dollars of the social justice movement?
And to the leaders who are retreating from DEI initiatives, let me say this: if abandoning DEI was always your position, I could at least respect the consistency of your stance. But many of you are now changing your tune, aligning yourselves with the wave created by this new administration—an administration led, ironically, by one of the most unqualified Presidents in the history of America. How can dismantling programs designed to foster inclusion, diversity of thought, and representation ever be viewed as progress?
When you strip away these programs, you send a loud and clear message: this isn’t about growth or justice—it’s about preserving power. It’s about keeping the doors of opportunity closed to those who don’t fit a particular mold. The very programs you’re cutting were created to challenge the status quo and build spaces where everyone has an equal chance to succeed. Retreating from these efforts doesn’t just halt progress—it actively undermines it.
Also, to the leaders of DEI organizations who remain silent during this shift: What are you afraid of? Imagine if Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Ruth Bader Ginsburg, James Baldwin, or Susan B. Anthony had chosen silence. Imagine if they had decided the fight was too difficult, the risk too great. Their courage wasn’t convenient—it was necessary. They understood that staying silent in the face of injustice is the same as endorsing it.
Let me be real with you: this will not be an easy journey. There will be sleepless nights, moments of doubt, and times when the weight feels unbearable. Ive screamed and held back tears....but if you’re not willing to endure these trials for the sake of progress, then I have to ask: Why are you here? Why did you take up this mantle in the first place? People look to you for leadership, for strength, and for the courage to speak when they cannot. Your silence is not just disappointing—it’s a betrayal.
Now is the time to rise. Now is the time for organizations and leaders to step forward. It’s not enough to claim you stand for diversity, equity, and inclusion. You must prove it—not through words, but through action, through sacrifice, and through a relentless commitment to building something better. I've been doing this work across industries for over 20 years, and this isn't for the faint of heart. You will face resistance. You will be criticized. You may even be cast aside by influential people who fear change. But that’s the price of leadership—the price of standing for what’s right.
So, I challenge you: What do you stand for? What kind of world do you want to help create? What legacy will you leave behind? The time to act is now.
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” - James Baldwin