In the month since President Trump signed an executive order eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the federal level, cancellations and rollbacks of DEI programs continue to mount.
The order has given private sector companies hollow excuses and political cover for pulling back on DEI. Ironically, these were some of the same companies that rushed to create DEI offices after the murder of George Floyd during the first Trump administration.
The intent of DEI programs is to bring fairness and inclusion to the workplace through diverse voices, especially those of women, veterans and people of color. We don’t see that as being a bad thing.
During the campaign, Trump promised he would dismantle DEI efforts and wasted no time in signing his misguided, discriminatory order as soon as he took office. In rapid fire, one federal agency after another responded by dismantling DEI offices and, in some instances, erasing historical milestones from the public record. In one particularly unfathomable instance, the United States Army and Navy both removed pages on their websites focused on the achievements of women in the military, though they were later restored following public outcry.
Trump’s decision was also closely followed by the shuttering of programs at some of the country’s major companies, including Google, Meta, Wal-Mart, and Target. Even PBS, which receives funding from Congress through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, announced the closure of its program.
“Individual dignity, hard work, and excellence are fundamental to American greatness. This Executive Order reaffirms these values by ending the Biden-Harris Administration’s anti-constitutional and deeply demeaning “equity” mandates, terminating DEI, and protecting civil rights,” the order states. “Federal hiring, promotions, and performance reviews will reward individual initiative, skills, performance, and hard work and not, under any circumstances, DEI-related factors, goals, policies, mandates, or requirements.”
Trump signed the order without a shred of documentable evidence that women, people of color and other marginalized workers are disproportionately benefiting from DEI programs. In fact, DEI initiatives were put into place to ensure all workers are treated fairly.
We fail to see quantifiable evidence that DEI poses a threat to anybody, let alone federal workers and the institutions in the country receiving federal dollars that are feeling political heat to roll back programs due to this order.
The ranks of federal employees are shrinking by the day, as many are taking buyouts to flee this administration. Who could blame them for leaving an administration that does not value their service? It’s a slap in the face to their hard work and an insult to the thousands of others forced to leave their positions on orders from a rogue agency headed by the president’s billionaire friend.
This travesty has touched groups across America, including some calling for boycotts beginning Feb. 28 of retailers who were quick to dismantle their programs.
The nonsense has made its way to New Jersey.
Rutgers University recently canceled an educational conference designed to discuss how students at historically Black colleges and universities can gain entry into apprenticeships. That decision received swift reaction from Ras Baraka, the mayor of Newark, who is also a gubernatorial candidate.
“Rutgers and any other schools preemptively pulling DEI programming is an utter failure of courage in the face of political foolishness,” Baraka posted on X. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not just buzzwords — they are proven strategies that make our workplaces more productive, our students more learned, and our economy stronger and more stable."
Our country, and certainly the state of New Jersey, are increasingly becoming more diverse. It makes perfect business sense that DEI be viewed as a business and moral imperative.
Companies standing firm in their DEI programs should be applauded. Costco, JP Morgan Chase, Apple, Cisco, Microsoft, Pinterest, and Delta are just a few that aren’t backing away from heralding the value of a diverse workforce and how their companies are better for it. But even some companies supportive of DEI are facing backlash from shareholders calling for them to reconsider their position, apparently willing to bow to the threat of having federal dollars yanked.
Joining companies that aren’t kowtowing are organizations such as the ACLU and the NAACP, which are appealing to companies quick to jump to reverse their decisions.
We urge others to join forces against this discriminatory order and express outrage by refusing to be bullied. The sting of this order is painful. It is rooted in retaliation, ignorance and spite.
Trump, who, like presidents before him, signed a proclamation recognizing Black History Month, has been the unapologetic leader in the assault on DEI. The simple truth is that America is still recovering from its less-than-inclusive past, and its leader has turned a blind eye to it.
This surely can’t be the America that we want.
The promise of America lies in its diversity. The contributions of America’s underserved and underrepresented citizens are undeniable and firmly ingrained in every part of this great nation. Diversity, equity, and inclusion certainly gained prominence after the murder of George Floyd. But out of Floyd’s death, a movement developed that turned tragedy into hope, fairness and inclusiveness for all.
It is unfathomable that the leader of the free world would connect DEI to a tragic helicopter-plane collision that claimed 67 lives. It is not OK.
DEI and the progress that it brings must not be paused for the next four years while Trump bullies his way around the nation and the world, threatening partner countries with tariffs and reckless executive orders that will keep the court system churning.
Americans deserve better, including Trump supporters who at least have to consider the fact that they’ve been deceived.
Power-grabbing leaders must be called out, their ill-conceived policies debunked. We cannot allow the greatness of the American worker and policies promoting diversity, equity and inclusion to be tainted with the stain of incompetence, sanctioned, promoted, and abused at the highest levels.
Together, we have the power to stop this.
This editorial was written by Ronnie Agnew, general manager of NJ Advance Media. He and other staff senior editors will regularly author editorials for The Star-Ledger and NJ.com. You may reach him at ragnew@njadvancemedia.com.
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