DEI is Under Attack

Dear Northwestern University community,  

There has been an increasing number of attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts across the country. At the time of this writing, 29 anti-DEI bills aimed at higher education have been proposed, per The Chronicle of Higher Education and their “DEI Legislation Tracker.” These bills seek to do away with DEI offices and staff, end funding for DEI programming, eliminate diversity statements in hiring, and restrict academic freedom (i.e., ‘anti-woke’ political crusades) by prohibiting anti-racism, anti-misogyny, and gender inclusive instruction. Likewise, affirmative action is at grave risk in the Supreme Court. More recently, lawmakers in Florida took aim at an African American studies Advanced Placement (AP) course pushing the College Board to strip out the work of Black writers and scholars associated with critical race theory, Black feminism, and Black Lives Matter topics. On the whole, threats to our necessary work continue to arise as scholarship and DEI initiatives take center stage in the emerging 2024 presidential race. 

What can we do?  

Understanding: Know that Northwestern University is not immune to these attacks or their effects. We must consider the ways in which students are educated in this country and their level of preparedness when they reach our institution. We may see a generation of students with limited access to a complex history, literature, religious studies, politics, and cultural studies curricula. Do stay informed about the broader social and political landscape in our country and recognize how it impacts our current and future students. Anti-trans legislation in Florida or Texas, for example, has wide-reaching effects on queer, trans, and non-binary students’ felt sense of belonging here.  

Pivot: Due to a, potentially, widespread chilling effect, we can expect the diversity of our student population to decline in the wake of an affirmative action ban. Proxies are not the best solution to a difficult legal landscape. However, across our nation conversations are being had about potential courses of action. Options may include: intentional geographic recruitment (e.g., ZIP codes), using socioeconomic status as part of a more holistic admissions review, continuing the trend of test-optional/ending mandatory testing for admissions, and robustly investing in initiatives, curricula, and hiring that signal we value diversity and that evidences an infrastructure of inclusion and support. 

Be a “Diversity Officer”: Find your sphere of influence to advance DEI in your work, mentorship, leadership, and/or pedagogy. Belongingatworksummit.com reminds us that the work of DEI is expansive, including: recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups, responding to shifting trends and demographics, calling out discrimination, advancing transformative policies and systems, and equipping peers and leaders with the information and skills to advance DEI. In today’s current DEI climate, being a Diversity Officer is not without its challenges. It can feel hard trying to respond to and push back on the many attacks coming from so many different places. Still, it is important to advance the work. Call your local lawmakers in support of DEI work, file witness slips for legislation that expands support for diverse groups, and call out discrimination. Collectively embracing the duty that we all share in the responsibility to educate, protect, and support our Northwestern community members and beyond drives the positive change we aim to realize. 

I implore you to actively participate in meaningful dialogue, scholarship, and change-agent efforts that will support DEI initiatives while dismantling barriers to a just, equitable, inclusive democracy.