The Anti-DEI Movement in Higher Education

What is the point of DEI? Across the country, people are vocally pushing back against the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion movement for various reasons. However, Savannah Strong,  the Dean of Equity and Community at the school, gave me an insightful perspective on DEI’s importance. 

The first part of DEI is Diversity, which is also the easiest portion to understand. This aspect is the quantitative part of DEI: the ethnic makeup of a school or company, essentially the numbers and representation of different communities. Additionally, DEI is about getting people who have been discriminated against into the same positions as people who have been historically in a position of power. The second part of DEI is Equity, which consists of “policy, practices, and procedures.” These systems and structures are meant to support marginalized communities at the School. Finally, there is Inclusion, which is self-explanatory, making people feel as included as possible no matter who they are. Changing the curriculum to reflect the School’s demographic shows commitment to DEI. Since students see themselves in the curriculum, they show up to school more excited to learn about their own culture.

DEI movements have always received backlash; however, this is the first time many people have seen media cover this topic, so they assume the Anti-DEI movement is something new. As long as DEI has been around, there have been white supremacists and other racist groups claiming that DEI policies discriminate against their race. Now, these groups also have the backing of some very prominent and wealthy people, including influential billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.. Mr. Ackman recently became vocal about being anti-DEI due to the testimony on Capitol Hill from higher education, which included his alma mater, Harvard. Mr. Ackman decided to found and fund a think tank that he claims will investigate higher education’s DEI initiatives.

Claudine Gay, the former president of Harvard, upset many people by refusing to condemn pro-Palestine movements on campus that were harassing and threatening Jewish students. Immediately, right-wing media and activists jumped on her comments, claiming that she actively supported the threats made by these protesters. People called for Gay to resign from her position. After a plagiarism scandal withered away any support she had, Gay resigned, saying that it was not in Harvard’s best interest for her to remain president. Even after her resignation, right-wing media outlets still attacked her hiring by Harvard, claiming that she wasn’t the most qualified person for the job. He claimed there were better, more qualified candidates to become president, but Gay, who they said was less qualified, was chosen because she “checked a box.” 

The nation is divided on the topic of DEI, and there are clear benefits to this initiative. It brings people from disadvantaged classes and races into a place where they can succeed and gives them a fair shot for success. However, there are also potential downsides to this initiative, most recently seen on college campuses. During the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, tensions that are historically high became even higher. Protests broke out on the campuses of many different colleges, advocating one way or another. Critics became highly vocal about how the universities handled these protests. Instead of taking action, universities chose to remain silent  partially due to fears of backlash from disadvantaged groups claiming that the schools were supporting white supremacy. Unfortunately, by remaining silent, the universities let these protests get out of hand, and they would often lead to harassment of Jewish students on campus.

There is no perfect path for  DEI, and people will always oppose it. Right now, it is in the spotlight because of the convergence of the DEI and Anti-DEI movements. As these two viewpoints become more and more vocal, we will see conflicts grow , which will only divide the groups further. However, I believe DEI is a movement that will remain in place. It is essential to our community that DEI remains in place due to the different perspectives and opportunities it brings. The easy road is to say that DEI discourages making decisions based on merit. However, DEI is much more than that; DEI  brings people and communities together and helps heal the wounds that a white supremacist past has caused.