DEI Was Never Enough Anyway
Can we be real?
When we first began imagining social justice education ten years ago, we were responding to gaps we had observed in the field. From the conception of our very first workshops, we resisted the urge to categorize and brand our workshops under Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI or DEI as both are commonly used). This is why.
It has been frustrating to watch the promising work of thinkers and educators be reduced, recycled and repackaged in the oversimplified and easily digestible DEI lens we have seen normalized. Too often, the concept of DEI in the workplace has been reduced to performative trainings, optics, and reactive hiring goals rather than systemic and structural change. Targeted hires from oppressed communities were thrown into work environments with little to no support and often expected to single-handedly solve the “ism” or “phobia” that triggered their hire. Meanwhile, DEI is viewed as a box-checking exercise rather than a meaningful shift in workplace culture.
Who can forget when Starbucks organized their “afternoon to solve racism” in 2018? Following the arrests of two Black men in one of their Philadelphia locations, the company faced widespread backlash and protests. They announced the closure of thousands of stores across the U.S. for an afternoon to conduct "racial-bias education geared toward preventing discrimination in our stores" and implemented an “Open Door Policy” to prevent future similar incidents. As many critics expressed in 2018, four hours of training did little to solve the systemic problems embedded in the company, as Starbucks locations have continued to be the subject of racist allegations. As expected, this January, with the recent federal rescinding, Starbucks reversed their “Open Door Policy”; individuals can no longer use Starbucks spaces unless they are paying customers.
They are not alone. Faced with political pressure and public skepticism, many companies have scaled back DEI programs they once proudly championed. As these programs and policies are diminished and eliminated, we are observing in real time the consequences of their limitations in both scope and impact: a failure to revolutionize our living and working conditions.
Centrists and right-wing actors played their cards right; mainstream DEI became diluted, uncritical, and, worst of all, comfortable. Easy. A PR exercise rather than a deeply self-reflective and transformative change in practice and culture. And now, as fascism comes barrelling across North America, our communities are left fighting for the crumbs of a flawed EDI structure.
We collectively can and should not allow ourselves to fall for the same trap. We cannot waste our energy and gifts on fighting to maintain a bare minimum that does not serve us.
Reimagining DEI means embedding equity and inclusion into the DNA of an organization rather than relegating it to a siloed role, department, training, or public relations initiative. By shifting the conversation to focus on people-centred design, workplace well-being, and holistic, equitable leadership, organizations can build coalitions across ideological lines. This doesn’t mean abandoning the goals of DEI; it means reconstructing them in ways that resonate more broadly and connect more authentically to those who need it the most.
The road ahead may be complex, but it’s not without promise. In the face of resistance, we are called to evolve and move past outdated frameworks and into more integrated, thoughtful approaches. If we’re willing to ask bold questions and commit to the hard work of culture change, this moment of DEI retreat could be the beginning of a more powerful, enduring movement for equity and justice in the workplace.
The way forward is rooted in our love for ourselves and each other. It is rooted in reimagining and reshaping our interpersonal relationships. It is learning how to decenter the power structures that harm us and build alternatives together.