DEI: What It Is, Why It Matters, and What Happens If We Lose It

DEIJaune

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A look at Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, with a focus on how it impacts under-resourced communities.

Before I begin, I want to clarify that I’m not someone who typically discusses politics, as it often depends on each person’s individual situation. However, I do believe it’s important to understand what we’re agreeing to — whether we say yes or no — and to make sure we read the fine print in plain, simple terms.

“Why Do We Even Need DEI?”

Good question. And if you’ve ever thought this—or heard it in a conversation and pretended to understand—I am not here to shame you as I myself only recently took a deeper dive into it. Let me try to explain. Because yes, we had rules before DEI came along. But rules alone don’t fix a system that’s been cracked from the start.

Let’s talk about what came before, what DEI actually is (spoiler alert: it’s not code for handouts), and what happens if DEI disappears.

Before We had DEI: We Had the Law

Let’s rewind to 1964, when Congress passed Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which said (paraphrasing):

“Hey, you can’t discriminate against someone at work just because of their race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” Revolutionary, right?

We also got:

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (1967) – because 40 is apparently old in corporate America.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (1990) – making it illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities in schools, jobs, and public life.

All fantastic steps. But here’s the issue: these are laws, not magic spells. They can’t snap their fingers and remove bias from someone’s brain—or the job application process.

So What Is DEI?

DEI stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. It’s not a buzzword designed to make hiring managers feel warm and fuzzy. It’s a framework.

Now hold up,—what’s a framework? Glad you asked!

Think of a framework like or scaffolding (its not necessary a blueprint but additional details or support to the blueprint). It doesn’t build the house for you, but it gives you steps, tools, and direction so that you can build something better than what was there before. In plain English: A DEI framework helps organizations intentionally examine their policies, systems, and choices to make sure they’re not accidentally (or conveniently) leaving people out. So no—DEI doesn’t mean hiring someone because they check a box. It means making sure qualified people aren’t tripping over invisible wires before they even get in the door.

“But Isn’t Everyone Equal Already?”

Ah yes—the Constitution’s greatest hit:

“All men are created equal.”

Beautiful words. But history had to do some serious backpedaling. It took the 14th Amendment to give citizenship rights to formerly enslaved people. It took the 19th Amendment to give women the right to vote. And spoiler alert: we’re still fighting for fairness. If equality alone worked, we wouldn’t need movements like Black Lives Matter or Me Too to remind people that respect isn’t optional.

DEI helps us move from the idea of equality (which assumes everyone starts in the same place) to equity—which understands that sometimes people need different support to get to the same starting line.

Why This Hits Struggling Communities Hardest

Now here’s where it gets real. In the last few months, several states have ramped up passing laws that ban or defund DEI programs in public schools, colleges, and government offices. Some businesses are even being threatened with cuts to funding or partnerships for continuing DEI work (NPR, 2023).

If you’ve got the privilege to homeschool your kids, switch zip codes, or pay for a private tutor, this might not rattle you, but don't skip this part yet because it will impact you nevertheless!

If you the means mentioned above, this is a tsunami.

Without DEI:

Schools stop asking who’s missing from the conversation.
Employers lean harder into “culture fit” (translation: people who act like them).
Communities stop making an effort to see or include those who’ve always had to fight for visibility.

And what happens when people are left out of jobs, classrooms, or leadership?

They fall behind—not because they’re lazy, but because they were never invited to the race to begin with. That leads to:

Higher unemployment
Worsening mental and physical health
Dependency on underfunded systems
More crime born out of desperation—not malice

But Don’t We Want a Thriving Community?

Exactly. And thriving doesn’t happen when everyone looks, talks, and thinks the same. That’s not growth—that’s a comfort zone pretending to be progress.

Innovation happens when someone says, “Hey, what if we tried it this way?” And more often than not, that person is someone who’s had to find new ways to survive, navigate systems, or be heard.

We need:

Diverse voices
Different ways of thinking
People who challenge the status quo

Because in everything from education to science to national defense, difference is what makes us strong.

Why We Can’t Afford to Sit This One Out

If we let DEI fall away quietly, we’ll lose more than just buzzwords. We’ll lose:

Progress
Representation
Accountability

And for many people, we’ll lose access to life-changing opportunities whether we are qualified or not.

If we stop standing up now, we may not notice the effects tomorrow. But we will soon enough—when it’s our kids, our neighbors, or ourselves wondering, “Why didn’t anyone speak up?”

Final Thought

DEI isn’t about giving people an unfair advantage. It’s about finally removing the trip wires that have made it so hard for so many to get ahead.

So the next time someone says DEI is “extra,” remind them: It’s only extra if you’ve always had a seat at the table.

Want to keep the conversation going? Share this post, tag someone who needs to read it, and don’t be afraid to make a little noise.

Because silence? That’s the only thing that guarantees nothing will change.