In response to lawsuits, several national organizations, including the federal government and educational institutions, have eliminated or significantly curtailed policies and programs that give preferential treatment to particular racial groups.
Following the Supreme Court ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which determined that racial preferences in college admissions are unconstitutional, advocacy groups have stepped up their pressure to defund programs that use diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Since 2021, over 100 lawsuits have been filed seeking to stop discriminatory practices in admissions, hiring, and grant allocations.
Educational institutions in certain states are already required by law to discontinue or significantly change discriminatory DEI initiatives. Some states have already eliminated DEI.
In 2020, in the wake of countrywide demonstrations over George Floyd’s death, U.S. companies pledged to hire employees with more diversity and inclusiveness in mind. However, the companies have since laid off DEI hires and greatly reduced diversity programs. According to a LinkedIn survey, “Chief diversity officer” was the most rapidly expanding category of senior executive positions in 2020 and 2021.
Managers at some Wall Street banks have stopped giving minorities and women preferential treatment when hiring and promoting due to the declining interest in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and the danger of lawsuits based on allegations of reverse discrimination.
According to conservatives and even some liberals, there has been an excessive emphasis on diversity in recent years on college campuses and in corporate boardrooms. Some see DEI programs as discriminatory in and of themselves since they enforce ideological bounds and put racial and gender identities ahead of individual merit. Supporters believe that equality is necessary since prejudice in the past has led to current disparities and that diversity should be an objective for everybody.
