A look at what DEI means amid Trump executive orders
President Donald Trump has issued several executive orders aiming to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives within the federal government, as well as its grantees and contractors. The executive orders put policies and programs targeting discrimination -- some that go back decades -- on the chopping block.
ABC News spoke to DEI experts and consultants about what DEI is and what these initiatives entail.
What is DEI's purpose?
DEI initiatives are intended to address and correct discriminatory policies or practices that may be found within an organization, according to Tina Opie, a DEI consultant and professor at Babson College.
Experts told ABC News that some examples of DEI initiatives include: implementing accessibility measures for people with disabilities, addressing gender pay inequity, expanding recruitment practices among underrepresented demographics, holding anti-discrimination trainings and more.
“Diversity” refers to the representation of people from a variety of backgrounds at all levels in an organization -- a diversity of races, genders, disabilities, religions, ages, sexual orientations, class status, military service status and more, according to Erica Foldy, a professor at NYU’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
“Equity” focuses on fairness and impartiality, particularly referring to whether people are being fairly paid, treated or considered for opportunities, DEI experts told ABC News.
“Inclusion” is about whether people feel like they belong, and whether they feel heard or valued in an organization, experts say.
"When done right, DEI policies improve employee engagement, reduce turnover, and foster innovation by bringing diverse perspectives to the table," said Christie Smith, former vice president of inclusion and diversity at Apple and C-Suite adviser, in a statement to ABC News. "But the impact depends on how well they’re executed. Policies alone don’t change cultures — consistent action and accountability do."
Where does DEI come from?
DEI has its roots in the 1960's anti-discrimination legislative movement when laws like the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 addressed labor issues based on protected classes.
Companies had to comply with these anti-discrimination laws, and the DEI movement stems from these efforts to continue creating equitable workplaces and schools.
“The kind of ethos of those initiatives was to go beyond just avoiding discrimination and to actively changing organizations so that they were more welcoming and more inclusive,” Foldy said.
And although the DEI acronym is in the spotlight, Foldy says, these initiatives are implemented under a plethora of different acronyms or names.
Every DEI initiative may be run differently, experts say, but the overall goal is to make companies and leaders examine the way their company treats or serves marginalized groups.
Opie and Foldy believe critics of DEI often frame these initiatives as unfairly giving something to marginalized people who some say “have not earned” it and are taking things away from others. They argue DEI is about removing barriers that hinder the ability for qualified people from marginalized groups to also succeed.
DEI is not about hitting diversity hiring quotas, they say, since such quotas are illegal according to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Instead, DEI professionals say it's about breaking barriers so all people have the opportunity to thrive in schools and the workplace.
Opie and Foldy say that correcting power inequities and removing barriers for marginalized groups can be seen as “unfair” to those who have not faced such barriers.
“Historically, there have been some groups of people who have had more access and control over resources, money, time, other people and the ability to affect policies, procedures, law,” said Opie.
“Dominance and privilege – understandably, those things are hard to give up,” Foldy said. “For the greater good, of not just a workplace, but for our country, our democracy, we have to become a country that equally and passionately welcomes all the people who live in the country.”
Why are such a number of conservatives attacking it?
DEI initiatives have come under attack by conservative legislators, including Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
The White House argues that "DEI creates and then amplifies prejudicial hostility and exacerbates interpersonal conflict," read one press release on Trump's DEI executive orders.
One executive order directs the Office of Management and Budget to terminate all federal programs related to "diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility," ending any consideration of DEI factors, goals, or policies and curate lists of the "economic and social costs" of these programs. This includes any "environmental justice" or "equity-related" programming.
Another executive order directs federal contractors to cease "promoting 'diversity,'" taking "affirmative action," and encourages the private sector to follow suit.
The order revokes several decades-old or years-old executive actions, including the 1965 Equal Employment Opportunity order prohibiting hiring discrimination by federal contractors and its amendments expanding professional development, data collection and retention opportunities and the 2011 order requiring federal agencies to develop strategies "to identify and remove barriers to equal employment opportunity."
The order also explicitly revokes a 1994 order to develop environmental justice strategies that address disproportionately high health and environmental impacts faced by low-income or minority communities.
Trump's executive order called some federal DEI programs an “immense public waste and shameful discrimination."
"Americans deserve a government committed to serving every person with equal dignity and respect, and to expending precious taxpayer resources only on making America great," reads Trump's executive order.
In January 2024, the Florida Board of Governors voted to prohibit state funding to be used toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, including "political or social activism" activities on campus.
The regulation prohibits state universities from using state or federal funds to promote, support or maintain any programs or campus activities that "advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion .... or promote or engage in political or social activism."
The rules have been criticized as censorship and restrictions of free speech. DeSantis has argued that DEI is an “indoctrinating” program.
DeSantis and his administration has spearheaded numerous efforts targeting DEI and education around race in Florida. In 2021, DeSantis announced the "Stop WOKE" Act, a bill that would have restricted race-related curriculum in schools, workplaces and higher education institutions. The bill has been blocked from impacting higher education by a federal judge.
“It's a lot of money, and it's not the best use of your money,” he said at a Jan. 31 press conference on his anti-DEI efforts. “We are also going to eliminate all DEI and [critical race theory] bureaucracies in the state of Florida. No funding and that will wither on the vine.”
In February 2023, Texas Gov. Abbott told state agencies that DEI initiatives are “illegal."
The memo, sent by Abbott's chief of staff, Gardner Pate, said these initiatives violate the law because they "expressly favor some demographic groups to the detriment of others."
It did not specify which groups were being harmed under such programs.
Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Gov. Abbott's office, said in a statement: "The letter from the Governor's chief of staff is a reminder that state agencies and public universities must follow federal and state law in their hiring practices.”
"The issue is not diversity—the issue is that equity is not equality. Here in Texas, we give people a chance to advance based on talent and merit," Eze added.
ABC News' Armando Garcia and Max Zahn contributed to this report.
