"DEI"—standing for diversity, equity, and inclusion—has become a catchall term for everything that is wrong with America. It's commonplace these days to hear the idea that DEI efforts in schools, universities, and corporations across the country have overly racialized America and placed unqualified people (largely minorities) in positions that they don't deserve to be in.
That is not accurate. The truth is far more nuanced than that, but there is a piece of the DEI equation that is so toxic that it has the potential to tarnish the entire thing.
Most corporations and many government entities have had diversity and inclusion programs—the predecessor to DEI—for decades. The goal was to ensure that there were policies and procedures in place to make sure that their workforce looks like America, as it should.
Where critics of DEI miss the boat is in their lack of specificity. Diversity is a good thing. Inclusion is a good thing. Having talented people with different perspectives and backgrounds enhance a work environment in a positive way. The problem is not and has never been "diversity and inclusion." The problem is so-called "equity."
When the "E" was added to the "D" and the "I", that's when things began to go out of whack. Where Diversity and Inclusion encouraged collaboration and cultural exchanges, "equity" places everyone in binary boxes of oppressor vs. oppressed. Regardless of life experiences, history or background, a person's race became........