“From medical schools to the military and law schools to corporations, see how the pernicious ideology of DEI has made its way into every facet of American institutions and what can be done to reverse course,” the Heritage Foundation website noted ahead of Wednesday’s event that was titled, “Seizing the Moment to Defeat DEI”
According to Dictionary.com, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are organizational frameworks that seek to promote “the fair treatment and full participation of all people,” particularly groups “who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination,” based on identity or disability.
But DEI has been accused of ignoring or even contributing to antisemitism. Stanley Goldfarb wrote in City Journal in November 2023 (How DEI Inspires Jew Hatred) that “At the heart of DEI is a simple binary: the world is divided between oppressors and the oppressed. Proponents of DEI cast white people as oppressors and black people as the oppressed. While they apply this frame primarily to America, they often apply it to Israel, too. Apparently, Israel is a bastion of Jewish whiteness, with a racist commitment to shattering the lives of nonwhite Palestinians. In fact, a colleague of mine—a former collegiate DEI director, no less—was told that Jews are ‘white oppressors,’ and that it was her job to ‘decenter whiteness.’”
The Heritage Foundation noted that “The successful campaign to oust the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania has made clear that a window of opportunity has opened in the struggle against DEI and CRT (Critical Race Theory). This window opened when Americans, especially those in the center, watched in horror as students – indoctrinated into a narrative of oppressor vs. oppressed – threw their support behind the Hamas terrorists who committed atrocities in Israel on October 7. We must keep this window open.”
Wednesday’s panel discussion on DEI policies in higher education featured speakers who highlighted their concerns regarding the impact of DEI initiatives on law and medical schools, as well as teacher preparation programs. They advocated for reforms in accreditation and federal policies. Additionally, panelists encouraged students and faculty to voice their opposition to DEI policies, including mandates for submitting diversity statements.
As Kristina Rasmussen, executive director of Do No Harm, put it simply: “It’s a see something, say something moment.”
Nicole Neily, president and founder of Parents Defending Education, said, “The past five months laid bare the rot at the heart of academia. It’s time to acknowledge that we bought a lemon and time to cut off these programs entirely.”
Jay P. Greene, senior research fellow at Heritage’s Center for Education Policy, said the way to beat DEI on campuses is by going after institutions’ bottom line. “We’re taking heads and taking money, and it’s producing success,” Greene said.
