First published on LinkedIn.
Happy New Year.
I intentionally didn’t use an exclamation point.
This year my goal is to reflect, to listen, and to be intentional about the choices I make and how my emotions are affected by what’s around me. During the past year, I’ve seen Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) take on many personas in the media. Sometimes it’s used as a tool for fear, other times, as a message of hope and opportunity. Regardless, each time a message about DEIB is shared, a strong emotion is elicited from me.
Don’t get me wrong. I make space for how I feel.
But what’s equally important is how I choose to direct my emotions. I want to be intentional about the way I channel the energy that comes out of these emotions, and in order to do that, reflecting on the past and being more thoughtful about the future will help me succeed.
So let’s reflect together. Over the last 60 years, DEIB has undergone a remarkable evolution, continuously expanding its scope to accommodate an increasingly diverse workforce and society. This journey has been marked by significant milestones and shifts in focus, reflecting the changing landscape of social justice and workplace dynamics.
1964 – The Civil Rights Act
Intent: To reduce discrimination and end segregation in America.
Purpose: Prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin; outlaw segregation, and ensure equal voting rights.
Outcome: Hastened the end of formerly legal Jim Crow practices, secured equal access for Black Americans to restaurants, transportation, and other public facilities, and gave access to equal education, enabling minorities and women to break down barriers in the workplace, and establishing the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to regulate fair hiring practices.
1980 – Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
Intent: To raise awareness around sexual harassment and prohibit unwanted sexual advances under law.
Purpose: Codified sexual discrimination in the workplace and prohibited workplace discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Outcome: Following the case of Williams v. Saxbe in 1976, one of the first instances where a court recognized sexual harassment as a form of sex discrimination under Title VII, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued guidelines explicitly defining sexual harassment as a violation.
1990 – The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Intent: To reduce discrimination against individuals with disabilities and ensure equal opportunities and access.
Purpose: Provide protections under The Civil Rights Act, prohibit discrimination, and require employers and public entities to provide reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities.
Outcome: Improved access and enhanced accessibility in public facilities, increased public sensitivity, awareness, and acceptance, and expanded legal protections. The employment rate for men with disabilities decreased significantly after the ADA's implementation, particularly affecting those with mental disabilities and low education levels.
2004 – Same-Sex Marriage Legalized For The First Time
Intent: To provide equal marriage rights to same-sex couples.
Purpose: To end discrimination based on sexual orientation in marriage and extend legal protections and benefits of marriage to same-sex partners.
Outcome: Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage on May 17, 2004, following the Supreme Judicial Court's decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, leading to increased visibility and acceptance of LGBTQ+ rights. Today, 23 states plus Washington, D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation, and 22 states plus Washington, D.C. outlaw discrimination based on gender identity or expression.
2008 – ADA Amendments
Intent: To broaden the definition of disability and expand the protections offered by the ADA.
Purpose: Overturned several Supreme Court decisions that had narrowly interpreted the ADA's definition of disability, clarifying and broadening the definition of ‘disability’ to ensure more inclusive coverage, and shifting the focus away from whether an individual's impairment qualifies as a disability to whether discrimination occurred.
Outcome: Expanded the protection by broadening interpretation of what constitutes a ‘major life activity’ and ‘substantial limitation,’ and removed the consideration of mitigating measures when determining if an impairment substantially limits a major life activity, making establishment of coverage easier and conforming amendments to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title I of the ADA.
2017 – #MeToo
Intent: To raise awareness about the prevalence of sexual harassment and assault, particularly in the workplace.
Purpose: To empower survivors of sexual abuse, encourage women to speak up about their experiences of abuse, hold perpetrators accountable, and advocate for changes in laws and policies.
Outcome: Led to increased public awareness and empowered survivors to speak up, which became a catalyst for changes in workplace culture and policies, stronger protection at work, and passing workplace anti-harassment bills where perpetrators are held accountable through legal action.
2020 – Black Lives Matter
Intent: To protest police brutality and bring awareness to systemic racism against Black Americans, particularly following the murder of George Floyd.
Purpose: Raise awareness about discrimination and racial inequality experienced by Black Americans, and bring about policy changes and reforms in government and Corporate America.
Outcome: Became the largest and most diverse demonstrations in U.S. history and increased public awareness about inequality, leading to a revitalization in social justice movements and organizational focus and investments on increasing opportunity and strategy and program developments in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.
Since then, organizations have been quick to build on pre-existing or start completely new DEIB programs. We saw the increase of a Chief Diversity Officer role, entire departments dedicated to driving the work forward, and investments into communities like we’ve never seen before.
And here’s another timeline by Julie Kratz for Forbes - specific to the evolution of DEIB in Corporate America.
However…
In more recent months, many of these very same organizations that quickly propped up DEIB programs are the very same ones backing out today. Walmart, GM, Ford, Molson Coors, John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, Toyota, and Brown-Forman (the maker of Jack Daniel’s whiskey) are all part of this trend.
Meanwhile, a GOP Bill dubbed ‘Dismantle DEI Act of 2024’ recently passed the House and is making its way through the Senate, and is aiming to rescind President Biden’s executive orders promoting equity and to abolish all federal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion offices. One of many efforts.
Those of you in the private sector may think this isn’t relevant; however, in addition to a whistleblower hotline, a new ‘anti-woke’ ETF, Azoria Partners, is set to launch in the new year, targeting and intentionally excluding pro-ESG companies and organizations that have a DEIB program or strategy.
So…Where do we go from here?
As DEIB advocates, we’re entering a very different landscape than last year, than ever before. With shifting views and political exhaustion all around, our approach as DEIB thought leaders needs to shift as well. Communication, Strategy, and Partnerships will be key factors in determining the future of your organization’s DEIB program. Now more than ever, education and communication will be key levers in shaping organizational culture. And DEIB will become embedded in the strategy and culture of organizations due to the increase in diverse qualified talent and the demand of that talent to feel included and valued.
57% of Chief Diversity Officers report their DEI budgets will not change in 2025, and 29% expect their DEI budgets to increase, according to i4cp’s survey of its Chief Diversity Officer Board, which is comprised of about 50 diversity leaders at Fortune 500 companies.
But I cannot emphasize COMMUNICATION enough.
As the saying goes, “We have two ears and one mouth.” So as DEIB Strategists, make certain you’re listening to feedback twice as much as you communicate your ideas and strategy...because “culture eats strategy for breakfast!” ~ Peter Drucker.
And let’s take a moment to applaud: Costco, JPMorgan Chase, Johnson & Johnson, Marriott, Salesforce, Workday, Accenture, EY, Proctor & Gamble, MasterCard, and AmEx (to name a few) for staying the course and standing 10 toes down on their DEIB initiatives in spite of all the backlash!
Happy 2025!
JANUARY OBSERVANCES:
Poverty Awareness Month: Did you know that the U.S. ranks second highest in poverty rates among its peer countries? Poverty Awareness Month is about taking an opportunity to learn more about this social ill, raise awareness among others, and understand how everyone can help.
National Mentoring Month: Leading by the power of their example, mentors represent the very best of America’s spirit of community and care for one another. During National Mentoring Month, we honor all the Americans who give their time and their hearts to mentor our Nation’s young people.
Jan 4 - World Braille Day: This day celebrates awareness of the importance of braille as a means of communication in the full realization of the human rights for blind and visually impaired people.
Jan 13 - Korean American Day: Korean American Day honors the contributions of the Korean American community to the United States and commemorates the arrival of the first Korean immigrants on January 13, 1903.
Jan 14 - Mahayana New Year: Mahayana New Year is a celebration of Buddhist New Year. Mahayana is one of the two main branches of Buddhism and is mostly practiced in Northeast Asia.
Jan 19 - World Religion Day: This day is a reminder of the need for harmony and understanding between religions and faith systems. On this day, communities of different faiths have the opportunity to get together and listen to each other, as well as celebrate the differences and commonalities that the delicate intermingling of culture and religion brings.
Jan 20 - Martin Luther King Jr. Day: We honor Martin Luther King Jr. on this day, who advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through the use of nonviolent resistance and nonviolent civil disobedience against Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination.
Jan 21 - National Day Of Racial Healing: This is a time to contemplate our shared values and create the blueprint together for #HowWeHeal from the effects of racism. Launched in 2017, it is an opportunity to bring ALL people together and inspire collective action to build common ground for a more just and equitable world.
Jan 24 - International Day Of Education: Under the theme “AI and Education: Preserving Human Agency in a World of Automation” - this day encourages reflections on the power of education to equip individuals and communities to navigate, understand, and influence technological advancement. As computer and AI-driven systems become more sophisticated, the boundaries between human intention and machine-driven action often blur, raising critical questions about how to preserve, redefine, and, ideally, elevate human agency in an age of technological acceleration.
Jan 27 - International Holocaust Remembrance Day: The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27—the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, a time to remember the 6 Million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the millions of other victims of Nazi persecution.
Jan 29 - Lunar New Year: Lunar New Year is the beginning of a New Year based on lunar calendars or, informally but more widely, lunisolar calendars. The better-known celebrations include the New Year based on the (lunisolar) Chinese calendar (Year of the Wood Snake) and Tibetan calendar of East Asia, the Buddhist and Hindu calendars of Southeast and South Asia; and the Islamic calendar and the (lunisolar) Jewish calendar that originated in the Middle East. The determination of the first month of a new lunar or lunisolar year varies by culture. Some Lunar New Year celebrations, such as in Korea and Vietnam, generally fall on the same day as the Chinese celebration in late January or February.
Until next month... Be well and stay safe & healthy!
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