DEI programs have withstood a variety of attacks this year, with more to come in 2025

In 2024, the diversity, equity and inclusion programs of some of the nation’s largest companies failed one after another, and there are signs that efforts to turn around DEI initiatives will only ramp up in 2025.

This year saw a rise in prominent figures like Elon Musk and Lululemon founder Chip Wilson, among others, vocally opposing DEI initiatives. Major companies, including Walmart, Lowe’s, Ford and Toyota, heeded the calls and scaled back their DEI programs, particularly after social media campaigns by influencers like Robby Starbuck.

Meanwhile, Utah, Alabama and Iowa have joined Florida and Texas in banning DEI offices at their public universities, and three other states – Idaho, Kansas and Indiana – have banned colleges from requiring diversity statements in hiring and admissions.

All of this came after countless companies pledged widespread support for diversity efforts following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, which launched a national social justice movement.

But with President-elect Donald Trump and his administration promising to eliminate federally funded diversity programs, the future of DEI is precarious.

Nika White, whose company specializes in DEI, said the industry has had a challenging year.

“The rhetoric surrounding bans on DEI programs in corporate and academic settings, particularly in the context of the broader political climate, often ignores the reality that such programs are not intended to ‘lower standards’ but to raise them by ensuring “It will ensure that everyone – regardless of their background – has an equal opportunity to contribute and succeed,” she said.

Opponents of DEI see these initiatives completely differently. Musk said on his social media platform X: “DEI is just another word for racism.” As a senator, Vice President-elect JD Vance co-introduced the Dismantle DEI Act in June, declaring that DEI is “a destructive ideology that foments hate and racial division.” Near the end of his first term in 2020, Trump signed an executive order banning federal DEI programs, which Joe Biden revoked shortly after taking office. The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment.

In the heat of this summer’s presidential election, Democratic candidate Kamala Harris was called a “DEI employee,” marking one of the more extreme attacks on politics. One politician baselessly blamed DEI for the Baltimore Bridge collapse in March, and others claimed that DEI was making air travel unsafe.

“These attacks are often rooted in anti-Black racism,” White said. “Billionaire entrepreneurs who wield influence to limit DEI initiatives often do so under the guise of ‘colorblindness’ or ‘meritocracy,’ arguing that DEI programs prioritize identity over skills.” They undermine the progress made over the past few decades and create a chilling effect that could further polarize our society and limit the ability of organizations to have open, honest conversations about race, equity and inclusion – conversations that are critical to moving us forward as people nation.”

She added that demonizing DEI “ignores the systemic barriers many marginalized groups face in accessing opportunities and thriving in environments where they are neither valued nor represented.”

Not exactly a death blow

If 2025 is the year DEI dies, as some hope, it will apparently require a Herculean effort. Trump has threatened to strip federal funding and accreditation from universities and colleges that don’t comply, which would trigger legal challenges.

On the corporate side, many companies have continued to implement diversity and inclusion initiatives, albeit quietly. CEOs like JPMorgan Chase Bank’s Jamie Dimon called himself a “whole-hearted, red-blooded, patriotic, ‘unwoke’ capitalist CEO” whose commitment to DEI has not wavered. Mark Cuban, host of “Shark Tank” and former owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, said a diverse workforce is “good for business.”

Fatimah Gilliam, principal of DEI consulting firm The Azara Group and author of “Race Rules: What Your Black Friends Won’t Tell You,” wants to hear more voices like these in the new year to combat the threats. She said the capitulation of companies and universities and the silence of business leaders had been “disheartening,” or, as she called it, “profiles without courage.”

Gilliam added that the prolonged negative rhetoric about DEI remains unchallenged: “People are somehow justifying this new normal; They don’t just go along with it, they then start defending it.”

A survey from College Rover, a website that allows users to manage the intricacies of applying to college, found that 54% of students surveyed support DEI and advocate for required DEI courses and that 70% appreciate the overall impact of DEI on college campuses as positive.

“You can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater,” said Bill Townsend, CEO and founder of College Rover. “Is DEI flawed? Yes, but it still works. But there are a lot of good parts thrown away with the bad, and the students see that.”

“Working” for Townsend involves the socialization and exposure to different opinions and experiences that come with a diverse student body. In fact, he said, 55% of Republican students surveyed said they viewed DEI as positive.

“And the big positive about DEI is that it exposes people to ethnic groups and views about ethnicities that are different than the ones they grew up with at home,” he said. “We have to work and live among people who are different from us. DEI helps us manage these dynamics. Eliminating DEI highlights the fact that you don’t have to get along with everyone. It shouldn’t be like that.”

Additionally, research from more than 27,000 employees in 16 countries shows that DEI programs increase profits and boost employee engagement, according to Boston Consulting Group. White said, “Many leaders are doubling down on their commitment to DEI, not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because they understand that inclusivity drives innovation, employee satisfaction and organizational performance.”

In 2024, DEI critic Robby Starbuck urged companies, including mammoth giant Walmart, to dismantle their DEI programs through heated social media posts.

Starbuck, who did not respond to a request for comment about his 2025 plans, said “I have a list of goals” he would press to drop DEI.

White and Gilliam, the DEI experts, acknowledged Starbuck’s influence. As a result, some companies that want to maintain DEI but fear backlash have renamed diversity, equity, and inclusion to “inclusion and belonging” and other phrases.

“DEI, the letters and what they mean are a problem for people,” Townsend said, adding that “diversity and inclusivity” might be less confrontational.

DEI advocates said they don’t care what it’s called. They just want to protect it.

“I’m pessimistic about the future of DEI because I see things the way they’re happening,” Gilliam said. “But I think there is hope, but the hope has to come from the individual people. People need to stand up and make a decision to influence what actually happens. “You’re not going to stand up and support me, I’m not going to support you by spending my money on your company. And I’m going to tell everyone else not to do it either.” We need to put a stake in the ground and take a stance as aggressive as theirs. It’s so important.”