AFTER THE PLEDGES: HOW DEI BECAME THE NEXT POLITICAL BATTLEGROUND

K. Miles
Sep 24
2 min read

A group of Black and brown professionals seated around a table in a modern office, engaged in focused discussion, symbolizing workplace diversity and inclusion. — A diverse team of Black and brown professionals collaborating in a modern office — a visual representation of the inclusive spaces DEI was meant to protect. Image:ONETEN Magazine

In the wake of 2020’s racial reckoning, America’s boardrooms, universities, and media outlets pledged to do better. They painted Black squares on their social media feeds. They issued sweeping diversity statements. They hired Chief Diversity Officers and funded new initiatives to promote equity and inclusion.

But here we are, just five years later—and the same companies and institutions are now quietly walking it all back.

From Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley, 2025 has revealed what happens after the pledges. And for Black and marginalized communities, the message is loud and clear: Diversity is no longer profitable. Inclusion is no longer convenient. And equity? That was always conditional.

DEI UNRAVELED

The attacks haven’t been subtle. In higher education, George Mason University was recently targeted by Trump’s administration for its DEI hiring practices, under a sweeping effort to reverse “race-based hiring.” In Silicon Valley, venture capitalist and Trump adviser Marc Andreessen declared war on DEI entirely, warning schools that they’d "pay the price" for progressive admissions and hiring policies.

And the corporate world is falling in line. T-Mobile stripped its DEI language to appease FCC regulators. Only 22% of S&P 500 companies still link executive compensation to DEI goals—down from 57% in 2023.

ON THE GROUND

The shift is more than political rhetoric. DEI departments are being dissolved. Fellowships for underrepresented students are being cancelled or renamed. Black professionals in tech, academia, and media are reporting increased layoffs and fewer advancement opportunities.

Worse, companies aren’t even saying the quiet part quietly. They’re rebranding. “Belonging.” “Culture.” “Team fit.” The terminology is changing—but the underlying exclusion remains the same.

THE COMMUNITY IMPACT

DEI was never a silver bullet. But it created space for marginalized voices in spaces that historically excluded them. Without it, mentorship disappears. Access shrinks. And corporate America becomes, once again, a country club for the comfortable.

It’s not just Black executives or students who are losing. It’s communities. When DEI is stripped away, entire ecosystems—nonprofits, neighborhood programs, school outreach efforts—feel the ripple effects.

WHY IT MATTERS

Let’s be clear: DEI didn’t fail. It was sabotaged. Undermined by political opportunists, weakened by corporate performativity, and abandoned once the photo ops ended.

But the fight isn’t over. If anything, it’s evolving. Real equity doesn’t depend on hashtags or HR departments. It depends on sustained pressure, community building, and calling out the system—loudly—when it tries to hit the delete key on our progress.