Recent sweeping actions by the Trump administration have brought Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training programs and policies into the headlines, with implications for both government and the broader workforce — including nonprofits.
The nonprofit sector has long been committed to being a place where people from diverse backgrounds and identities can thrive and contribute.
Nonprofits were early and eager adopters of the language and professional community that grew up around DEI, because of the persistence of negative experiences and injustices that even many of the harshest critics of DEI would admit are real.
But over the past few years, many people — even within the sector — have become disillusioned with common institutionalized approaches that fall under the DEI label.
Ironically and tragically, DEI’s most passionate proponents — and most passionate opponents — are both reacting to the same root cause: Something is broken in how Americans encounter each other across differences…
Seth Chalmer 