Polytechnic School’s Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), adopted 2020, reads: “Diversity of ideas, experiences, and identities within the school enriches the experience of everyone and inspires transformative teaching and learning.” Like Poly, many institutions have a stated DEI initiative, but DEI programs can look very different across various corporations, organizations and schools. These programs generally support marginalized groups to compensate for prior hindrances, including deep-rooted social and economic disadvantages that affect access to opportunities. DEI efforts can include training and mentorship programs, employee resource groups and diverse leadership initiatives.
These DEI programs are crucial to society, and now, more than ever, we must advance our efforts to salvage them. Recently, DEI initiatives have been eliminated from many major companies, including Meta, Ford, McDonald’s, Target and Walmart, according to CNN. Although DEI programs have been contested for years, the debate intensified after President and Fellows of Harvard College, and Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina that outlawed affirmative action in higher education admissions. The Trump administration has also sought to eliminate DEI programs by withholding federal funding from schools and other institutions, which is incredibly harmful to both minority individuals and institutions as a whole.
A common argument against DEI programs, one that the Trump administration itself used to justify recent executive orders, is that they are inherently discriminatory, a concept known as “reverse discrimination,” where policies favor individuals who have been previously discriminated against. However, this interpretation fails to consider the extensive and complex history of injustice that continues to plague particular groups in our country.
DEI initiatives strive to rectify the challenges that minorities face as a result of past inequalities that still manifest themselves in the present day. White people, in the structure set up by the United States government, inherently have advantages over other races.
California Newsreel states, “white families have more than twice the wealth of Black families,” and “much of that wealth difference can be attributed to the value of one’s home, and how much one inherited from parents.” As the Brookings Institute notes, lower Black homeownership and the racial wealth gap are byproducts of systemic racism, including the legacies of slavery, Jim Crow segregation, redlining, and other anti-Black policies that targeted Black people and predominantly Black neighborhoods.
DEI programs work to rectify these persisting inequities. In explaining the reasons for its DEI initiative, Delta Airlines states, “Within our society, a premium was historically placed on education when education was not provided equally for all. In order to create a more equitable workforce, we are applying a ‘skills-first’ mindset to hiring and development. We do this by giving equal consideration to a candidate’s skills, background and experience as we would give to education and academic pedigree.”
DEI initiatives were intended to provide strong commitment to promoting diverse voices and equal opportunity. Therefore, removing them constitutes an immediate and devastating detriment to marginalized groups.
As such, it is vital to fix the gap between white people and people of color. This is where DEI comes in. CBS reports DEI services often prioritize minorities for promotions or scholarships, provide mentorship opportunities or lead workshops on fostering an inclusive and welcoming workspace.
Although many argue that preferring people for promotions or scholarships undermines quality of work and talent, David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, told CBS MoneyWatch that we must think about “barriers and biases that might be getting in the way of considering the full talent pool.”
Essentially, the systemic disadvantages that many minorities experience obstruct their ability to reach their full potential, so removing DEI initiatives will make inequality gaps even worse as minority groups fail to acquire opportunities to learn and grow. DEI programs help ensure that minorities, particularly women, people of color and people from lower socio-economic statuses, receive the chance to be in a position where they can thrive regardless of their background.
Moreover, DEI workshops are vital in cultivating school and work environments where people feel safe and respected. According to research by Washington State University, 61% of United States employees have experienced discrimination in the workplace based on age, gender, race or sexuality. This statistic emphasizes how DEI initiatives help protect the majority, not simply the minority, as some claim.
The impact of DEI programs extends beyond individuals. Workplace diversity not only builds inclusivity but is vital for innovation. When people from various backgrounds come together, they bring different perspectives that fuel creativity and accelerate problem-solving. Research from Gartner, an American technological research and consulting firm, reveals that “differences of age, ethnicity, gender and other dimensions foster high performance.”
As we look at the tremendous impact of DEI programs, both on individuals and on broader society, one thing remains certain: substantiating them is not only a moral obligation to foster equity in our society but a necessary measure to better institutions worldwide. At Poly, we must continue to stand behind DEI policies, not allowing outside influences to change our purpose. As students of this school, we should try to expand our outreach by joining protests, signing petitions and vocalizing the importance of DEI through different mediums.
