The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) released a report Monday assessing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives following a June 2023 Supreme Court ruling that banned race-conscious college admissions and heightened scrutiny of workplace diversity efforts nationwide.
DEI efforts proliferated across the US after the May 2020 police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man in Minneapolis, spurred a national reckoning over questions of racial justice. Advocates of DEI policies say they foster environments where people of all backgrounds have equal opportunities to participate, contribute, and succeed. Detractors argue they replace meritocratic selection processes with identity-driven ones.
The US Supreme Court last year struck down race-conscious admissions decisions in higher education. While the ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College focused on university admission policies, it gave rise to a broader backlash against DEI initiatives stretching far beyond academia.
As described in the CBC report:
In the wake of the ruling, Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans have continued their all-out assault on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), as well as on other tools of economic opportunity meant to even the playing field and open access to capital for small Black and minority-owned businesses. … As a result of these efforts, more than a dozen conservative attorneys general have issued letters to Fortune 500 companies threatening legal action over their DEI efforts. Additionally, anti-DEI bills targeting college admissions have been introduced in more than 30 states across our country. Federal programs that provide access to capital for Black small businesses … have come under legal scrutiny, putting billions of dollars for federal contracts to Black and minority business owners on the line.
Ultimately, this climate of opposition has put pressure on organizations to either defend their diversity commitments, or to abandon them.
In December 2023, the CBC issued “corporate accountability” letters to Fortune 500 companies across the US urging them to stay the course on their DEI commitments. Based on the responses of 189 of these companies, the CBC found the US corporate sector remains committed to DEI initiatives despite the shifting atmosphere. It notes, however, that while many organizations have made significant progress since 2020, “there remain opportunities to consistently translate DEI aspirations into tangible, measurable actions and outcomes.”
The report outlines 12 best practices areas, ranging from leadership accountability to the importance of diversity data transparency and c-suite representation.
CBC Chairman Steven Horsford said of the findings:
The CBC commends corporate leaders who have overwhelmingly reaffirmed their company’s commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in their business practices and operations, and those who believe, like most Americans, that diversity is a business and talent imperative. We cannot allow a handful of right-wing agitators to bully corporations, and this report offers corporate America a guide to strengthening their diversity practices.
According to Pew Research Center polling from May 2023, support for DEI initiatives in the workplace split starkly along partisan lines. More than three-quarters (78%) of Democratic and Democratic-leaning workers support a corporate focus on DEI, while only 30% of their Republican and Republican-leaning counterparts would agree.
Republican opposition to DEI initiatives have featured prominently in the leadup to this year’s US presidential election. Republican candidate and former president Donald Trump has vowed to fight what he termed the “anti-white feeling” in the US, and has prompted the ACLU to develop a legislative roadmap aimed at protecting DEI policies in the event of a second Trump presidency. And earlier this year, his running mate JD Vance (acting his capacity as Ohio senator) introduced a bill aimed at ending all DEI programs in the federal government.
The administration of President Joe Biden and Vice President-turned-Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, meanwhile, has advanced numerous DEI initiatives since taking office.
