DEI: gimmick, token or weapon?

The speed with which many corporations have aborted DEI initiatives that they were "committed to" only two months ago tells us two things: (1) they have no scruples and (2) they were never truly committed to DEI. If we are honest with ourselves, we could tell from their haphazard initiatives that often focused on virtue signalling over substance and at times, resulted in marginalised people caught in the crosshairs of their ill thought out DEI campaigns.

Key words: DEI, Trump Executive Order, corporate retreat from DEI programs, Target, Bud Light, affirmative action in higher education, Asian Americans, African Americans

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***Correction - Target no longer sells guns.

Articles and resources:

MSN (2025), Target put DEI on the chopping block. Then fewer customers showed up:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/target-put-dei-on-the-chopping-block-then-fewer-customers-showed-up/ar-AA1zHjbg

The guardian (2025), McDonald’s rolls back DEI programs, ending push for greater diversity:

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/jan/06/mcdonalds-diversity-programs

The Guardian (2023), Asian Americans spent decades seeking fair education. Then the right stole the narrative: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/apr/13/affirmative-action-asian-americans-us-universities

NBC (2024), Asian Americans see mixed results in enrollment after end of affirmative action:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/affirmative-action-enrollment-asian-americans-rcna170716

Los Angeles Times (2023), Opinion: Affirmative action isn’t hurting Asian Americans. Here’s why that myth survives:

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2023-06-14/affirmative-action-supreme-court-harvard-case-asian-americans

Vox (2016), White women benefit most from affirmative action — and are among its fiercest opponents: https://www.vox.com/2016/5/25/11682950/fisher-supreme-court-white-women-affirmative-action

USA TODAY, (____), White women benefit most from affirmative action. So why do they oppose it?: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/money/2023/06/29/affirmative-action-who-benefits-white-women/70371219007/

TIME (2013), Affirmative Action Has Helped White Women More Than Anyone: https://time.com/4884132/affirmative-action-civil-rights-white-women/