What Went Wrong With DEI? 3 Ways To Move Forward

Forbes

22-06-2025

Concept of racial equality, anti-racism, diversity, stop racism, humanity, different wood textures, ... More silhouette, diverse cultures, cultural diversity, wooden face shape, Cooperation, collaboration
With headlines dominating the news cycle—'The Death of DEI' to 'The Downfall of DEI'—it is time to learn from our past and pivot inclusion work forward positively.
The backlash for DEI work has always existed. Most recently, the pushback focused on specific parts of DEI. For example, hiring goals for diversity were rebranded as 'DEI hires,' and support for LGBTQ+ rights became a political stance.
In my interview with Paul Ladipo, CEO and Founder of Critical Conversations Consulting, he said, 'Anti-DEI activists started by picking on Critical Race Theory (CRT). Once that gained steam, it spread to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Then, DEI became under attack at the state and university level to becoming the rationale for plane crashes.'
Ladipo sees many organizations continuing DEI under different framing, pivoting to words like inclusion, belonging, or culture. He recommends leaders learn from the backlash and go beyond surface-level problems, focus on the long-term legacy impact of the work, and let go of the idea that everyone has to be an ally.
Go Beyond Surface-Level Problems
'Most people know social causes at a surface level. They do not understand the more complex reasons why racism or sexism exist and how to navigate them. If they understood the issues more deeply, they would not have fallen for DEI backlash,' Ladipo proposed.
Despite the recent backlash, most people want DEI work at their organizations. People cite DEI improving their employee experience and broadening their talent pipelines, leading to higher rates of innovation and business outcomes. Once people understand how issues of inclusion affect them and those they work with, they have greater empathy and connection with their teams.
Reframing DEI requires going beyond surface-level problems, to deeper DEI solutions.
Reframe DEI As Legacy Work
Ladipo acknowledges that the DEI pushback will take a long time to heal from. Uncertainty and massive change take a toll on people over time. It is not sustainable to go through waves of pro-inclusion and anti-DEI with the news cycle. People crave consistency in times of uncertainty.
Centuries of inequality will not be solved overnight. DEI is a long game. It is legacy work. It necessitates having a plan, goals, and metrics to monitor over time. Tying DEI to the business and human cases can emphasize the long-term nature of DEI with specific actions tied to a broader strategy.
Accept Not Everyone Is An Ally
'Following the Civil War we saw the rise of Jim Crow discrimatory laws. After the Civil Rights Act, there was an increased focus on securing the Southern vote by appealing to white grievance politics. There will always be a part of the population that resists social change,' Ladipo cites.
DEI is about meeting people where they are on their learning journeys. If people are not ready or are not interested in allyship, it cannot be forced upon them. Coqual's research finds that the overwhelming majority of people want to or are persuable as allies, yet 10% of people remain naysayers. We cannot want this work for everyone, yet 90% is reachable.
The future of DEI may be uncertain, yet despite the backlash, accepting not everyone is an ally, reframing as legacy work, and going beyond surface-level problems are pivots leaders need to consider to move forward successfully.