It’s easy to oppose 3 letters
The acronym D.E.I. has come to represent something different than what it was originally
intended to. While most people in the U.S. do in fact support DEI initiatives¹, there still seems to
be a prevailing belief that that a significant portion of Americans are opposed to it, or have
complaints about it.
intended to. While most people in the U.S. do in fact support DEI initiatives¹, there still seems to
be a prevailing belief that that a significant portion of Americans are opposed to it, or have
complaints about it.
This seems to be a case of the minority voice being louder than the majority’s. As seen in the
recent and forced pullback of DEI initiatives, there has been “a forceful backlash from
conservative foundations, think tanks, and political operatives that joined forces to make DEI a
mainstream flashpoint.”² Similar to with climate change, the battle over DEI has been
strategically transformed to represent something other than what it actually is. Let’s take a step
back to what the three words behind it really mean.
recent and forced pullback of DEI initiatives, there has been “a forceful backlash from
conservative foundations, think tanks, and political operatives that joined forces to make DEI a
mainstream flashpoint.”² Similar to with climate change, the battle over DEI has been
strategically transformed to represent something other than what it actually is. Let’s take a step
back to what the three words behind it really mean.
Diversity
I’m 5 years old and standing in front of a mirror that stretches the full length of the wall in front
of me. I stand there self-consciously, trying my best to look poised, peering ahead at the little
reflected faces lined up next to me. I feel a moment of confusion as I look around at my ballet
classmates and then at myself, noticing that my skin is darker, my face rounder than theirs. It’s
the first time I can remember feeling dierent, that maybe I didn’t quite fit in in some way. Was
our ballet teacher particularly strict with me because I looked a little dierent, or was it because
I was the inflexible and uncoordinated? Chances are it was the second one and I’ll never really
know, but I can only imagine I would’ve felt more included if there had been even just one more
kid in the class who was a little less the same as everyone else (or who also couldn’t touch their
toes).
I’m 5 years old and standing in front of a mirror that stretches the full length of the wall in front
of me. I stand there self-consciously, trying my best to look poised, peering ahead at the little
reflected faces lined up next to me. I feel a moment of confusion as I look around at my ballet
classmates and then at myself, noticing that my skin is darker, my face rounder than theirs. It’s
the first time I can remember feeling dierent, that maybe I didn’t quite fit in in some way. Was
our ballet teacher particularly strict with me because I looked a little dierent, or was it because
I was the inflexible and uncoordinated? Chances are it was the second one and I’ll never really
know, but I can only imagine I would’ve felt more included if there had been even just one more
kid in the class who was a little less the same as everyone else (or who also couldn’t touch their
toes).
Equity
My friend and I were in college together at the liberal arts school Scripps College. She was so
excited to be there, to be making friends, and had such a kind and accepting attitude towards
everyone around her. Scripps is not an inexpensive institution to get one’s bachelors degree, in
fact Forbes included on a list of “The Most Expensive Colleges in California” in 2022³. She was a
hardworking student, just as smart as anyone else there and just as capable, but after our
sophomore year she had to drop out and return home to her family in Arizona because they
could not afford to continue paying for her tuition. She is indigenous.
My friend and I were in college together at the liberal arts school Scripps College. She was so
excited to be there, to be making friends, and had such a kind and accepting attitude towards
everyone around her. Scripps is not an inexpensive institution to get one’s bachelors degree, in
fact Forbes included on a list of “The Most Expensive Colleges in California” in 2022³. She was a
hardworking student, just as smart as anyone else there and just as capable, but after our
sophomore year she had to drop out and return home to her family in Arizona because they
could not afford to continue paying for her tuition. She is indigenous.
Inclusion
My best friend is Guatemalan and adopted by a single mother. We grew up together in Menlo
Park, the affluent Bay Area town where Facebook was founded. She recalls times that she felt
she had to “try not to act suspicious in her own neighborhood.” For undergrad, she first attended
the University of Puget Sound, where she felt out of place at the predominantly white school. She later
transferred to the University of San Francisco, which was much more diverse, and where she was able
to feel much more at home and part of the community. There she felt more seen and heard, and spent
time bonding over pho with her Vietnamese roommate.
People care about other people
People listen to and remember real stories, and people generally care about other peoples’
experiences. If DEI were represented more along the lines of the stories above, and less as the
cliche the acronym has come to be, I think that it would be more dicult to form compelling
arguments against it. It’s easy to say you don’t want DEI, harder to say you don’t want to support
an 18 year old Indigenous woman to be the first in her family to make it through college.
However we tend to hear a lot of pushback from people whose opinions on DEI are along these
lines:
cliche the acronym has come to be, I think that it would be more dicult to form compelling
arguments against it. It’s easy to say you don’t want DEI, harder to say you don’t want to support
an 18 year old Indigenous woman to be the first in her family to make it through college.
However we tend to hear a lot of pushback from people whose opinions on DEI are along these
lines:
While I do not personally know this “artemis,” I’m willing to bet that they support and care about
at least one other human who has a dierent background and experience than their own (I
hope). While they and others may not support the acronym DEI because of the weight
conservative leadership has been giving it in the fight against liberal socialists, the Washington
Post study does show that many conservatives must in fact support increased opportunities
and resources for underrepresented groups.
When we think of DEI, probably images such as the one below come to mind. Maybe a bunch of
overlapping hands in a circle? These cliches, while well meaning, may lead to eye rolling or the
recalling of anti-harassment trainings at work, even among those who support DEI initiatives.
What DEI needs is a rebranding of sorts, a return to the 3 simple words that it stands for. There
are ways around the rollback of DEI initiatives, other ways to foster diversity, equity and
inclusion that involve being open to others’ experiences, stories, and opinions, which I believe
people are generally willing to do. I think that we have gotten tired of the same battle being
fought under different guises, so it’s time to step back, reassess, and approach it in a new way,
perhaps by being open to the experiences of those who seem to at first to not be on the same
side as us.
are ways around the rollback of DEI initiatives, other ways to foster diversity, equity and
inclusion that involve being open to others’ experiences, stories, and opinions, which I believe
people are generally willing to do. I think that we have gotten tired of the same battle being
fought under different guises, so it’s time to step back, reassess, and approach it in a new way,
perhaps by being open to the experiences of those who seem to at first to not be on the same
side as us.
Written by Caitlin Kenney, MBC class of 2025
References
¹ Telford , Taylor, et al. “Most Americans Approve of Dei, Poll Shows.” The Philadelphia Tribune,
20 June 2024, www.phillytrib.com/most-americans-approve-of-dei-poll-shows/article_e0e35fbe-
af42-5e7a-a4b7-2b9da7d111ba.html.
² Guynn, Jessica. “Dei Explained: What Is Dei and Why Is It so Divisive? What You Need to Know.”
USA Today, Gannett Satellite Information Network, 5 Mar. 2025,
www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/03/04/trump-dei-backlash-explained/81170427007/.
³ DePietro, Andrew. “The Most Expensive Colleges in California.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 5 Dec.
2022, www.forbes.com/sites/andrewdepietro/2022/12/02/the-most-expensive-colleges-in-
california/.