Divisive, extreme and intolerant. That’s what diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts have become. And conservatives are no longer the only skeptics.

The New York Times this month uncovered that the University of Michigan’s programs to promote supposed diversity and inclusion − at a cost of about $250 million since 2016 − instead fueled campus discord. After years of a heavy emphasis on DEI, Michigan students struggle to engage with peers from different racial, political or religious backgrounds.

The Times' coverage is a turning point. For years, news outlets dismissed critiques of DEI as “racist dog whistles,” “slurs” and the new “Red Scare.”

Meanwhile, universities and corporations adopted racial considerations in hiring to meet equity goals. Universities established bias response teams to monitor speech, ostensibly to protect minorities from feeling excluded but often targeting views they simply disagreed with. And university faculty recruiters used diversity statements to filter applicants based on their political commitments to progressive causes.

All of these decisions aroused ire from conservative media, but the opposition failed to deal a decisive blow to the movement. The........

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