Editorial Note: Opinions and thoughts are the author’s own and not those of AFROTECH™.
The heart of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is about creating equitable access to opportunities, but unfortunately we are seeing the ladder of opportunity be systematically pulled up ever since President Donald Trump started his second term. Once he was sworn in, a slew of companies in the private sector, including large tech companies like Amazon and Meta, rolled back their previous commitments to DEI, with some in the financial sector like banks JPMorgan Chase and Citi Group following suit. This focus on the rollback of DEI is not only impacting the private sector but the world of education as well.
Through Critical Race Theory (CRT), which started as a legal topic back in the 1970s and 1980s at Harvard Law School, Derrick Bell argued that racism appears in policies, even when these policies seem neutral. He stated that they are not just on the individual level but are present institutionally as well. The theory caught steam through workshops, most notably at The University of Wisconsin-Madison where the first workshop was organized by Kimberlé Crenshaw and held in 1989.
CTR then became a focal point in recent years when it came to whether/how the history of racism should or should not be highlighted in public schools. Multiple states such as Florida, Texas, and Tennessee, along with others, have passed laws that have restricted how CTR can be applied to curricula in public schools. This has not only touched K-12 but higher education as well. We have seen recently where Trump and the Department Of Education have announced that schools have two weeks to remove their initiatives related to DEI, or they risk the federal government withholding funding, not only to K-12 education but to higher education at colleges and universities.
Where the attack on DEI seems to be more about the perceived preference of one group over another in economic opportunity, bringing this thinking to education does not only impact opportunities for individuals but limits the understanding of history necessary for students to comprehend the world they are living in and the future they will be walking through. The removal of DEI in education would change how public education works for 90% of U.S. students who are educated in public schools.
We are first educated by our parents and then educated by the schools our parents send us to. The rollback of DEI in education is not only linked to future professional opportunities but also is a removal of needed context for why the world is the way it is, as well as the contributions of those from diverse backgrounds.
The laws signed by conservative state governors as it relates to CTR were rooted in the teaching of superiority and inferiority via individuals and/or systems. I feel this was to try and protect the feelings of those children in classrooms that may share a racial identity with the people who committed the acts they are learning about. While conversations primarily centered around how slavery should be taught, an area I was most concerned about was how students are taught about the Civil Rights Movement, especially given that people who were critical in moving us forward during Jim Crow are still around today. Others are also learning about how that era of time set the stage for what is happening now. Knowing what is going to be prioritized for the future is critical for any student in this country, especially as the country will be minority white come 2045 and multiculturalism will be at the center of American identity.
The order from Trump and the Department of Education was vague, as most of the executive orders have been from his administration, which has left educators across the country scrambling to understand what it means and how to best comply. Black students have already been set behind because of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on students’ educational outcomes, and any continued disruption will just cause further issues. We are just now seeing college enrollment bounce back to pre-pandemic levels. Yet, here is another disruption that could cause Black students to not enroll this coming fall.
An under-discussed part of DEI in education is its focus on accessibility specifically around children with disabilities that need proper accommodations in order to access education at a similar level as able-bodied students. Given that Black children with disabilities are less likely to be identified as having learning disabilities and more so identified as having behavioral issues or intellectual disabilities, removal of DEI-focused programs would cause Black children with disabilities to be put at an even further disadvantage. This is especially true in red states where the state government holds a similar view as the current administration when it comes to DEI.
Trump and his administration are walking contradictions. They say they want to give the power of education to the states but have also said many times that they want to demolish the Department of Education. They are all about signaling to their base even at the expense of students.
I doubt any federal funding cuts come to K-12 education, but they could come to higher education given the 2023 verdict on affirmative action from the Supreme Court, which gives the MAGA mob a more stable foundation to start their arguments. Organizations like TRIO that serve low-income students, first-generation college students, and students with disabilities could be on the chopping block under this new directive. At a time when economic opportunity involves pursuing post-secondary education, the moves by Trump are simply looking to pull up the ladder of opportunity on people one step at a time.
