In 2025, much angst, anger and discouragement around DEI, but I know in my heart that it isn’t “over” for equality and inclusion.
I tell my daughters that I was a beneficiary of the “mother” of DEI, EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission),” which provided job and education opportunities for under-served groups of people (women, minorities, physically or mentally disadvantaged group). EEOC still exists; its website is still being updated. Eliminating DEI will do little else than have employees spend hours and days and months searching websites, libraries and the government for such offensive words as “woman,” “black,” “Hispanic,” “maternity leave,” “gay,” and many others. Nothing could go wrong there, right? Besides, once the “establishment” changes, hours will be spent putting these words and webpages back.
DEI evolved as a part of EEOC, and spilled over to other areas besides employment, such as cultural events, books, movies, music, etc. Much of this is good, but it also came as a threat to some groups of people (whites, white males, etc.)
I’m a white female, and according to statistics, white women seem to have benefited the most from EEOC and resulting DEI. I was one of those women, having gone to college (three times, no less, and getting a paid-for Master’s Degree), getting a good corporate job with good benefits to help me support two children. I met my husband at that job, and it certainly was a blessing to have a supportive and successful life partner to help me with raising two children. I have often thought that EEOC also liberated white men from marriages they didn’t want, from supporting children when they didn’t want to, from working when they didn’t want to. I guess some white males don’t see it that way.
But, I digress. When I interviewed for my corporate job, I was part of an “experimental” group of 20 or so people (mostly women, a couple of men who bowed out early). We were tested, interviewed and then put into a training program for IT jobs. We were the first of several groups of mostly women who were required to have degrees (even though most of the managers I worked for didn’t have degrees themselves, and seemed to resent any mention of college).
I retired (with pension) from that company 26 years later.
It wasn’t always easy; during that time, I and others suffered silently subtle roadblocks and discrimination. I realize that as a white woman, I also had “white privilege,” and know nothing about extreme discrimination. As a group of “EEO” hires, we got good salaries, got bonuses, got excellent benefits–the same as the men. I was sometimes denied help when I didn’t understand something about my job, left out of meetings, talked about, called an “EEO hire,” etc. Yet, I believe sometimes I was ignored when it came time to lay people off (was there a quota which I would lower if I was fired?). I worked hard, completed my work, got ahead as much as I could, learned as much as I could. I did find women helping women. I also saw them scrambling over one another trying to get ahead. My only regret about that career? Be more brave. Take more chances. Work smarter and network better.
Back to the reason I don’t think DEI will DIE anytime soon. Women and minorities have spent the last forty years getting educations, higher degrees, getting experience, starting businesses, becoming lawyers and doctors. We haven’t slacked. We did much of this while raising children, keeping homes. I think this forty years have given groups of people a “leg up,” so to speak, and now it is unlikely to change. We will continue to get the books we need to learn. We will teach each other, support each other.
DEI may change acronyms but it won’t die.