Tag: dei

The Trump administration unveiled its “End DEI” portal about a week ago. 

I encourage you – teachers, school counselors, and administrators – do not let this obvious scare tactic shake your resolve to stand by your values

The portal asks for reporting of “illegal discriminatory practices”, and then references several long-standing civil rights statutes in fine print. Nothing has changed about what is illegal and what is not illegal. The Trump administration is throwing around the word “illegal” to frighten people, but the administration does not make the law, and the relevant laws have not changed. The administration is counting on educators and administrators being frightened, not reading the fine print, and not thinking critically. So, this is where we can defy their low expectations for us. Reach out to like-minded people for support, and lend heart to your wavering colleagues.

These issues will work their way through the courts over time. I don’t know what directions those cases will go, but I do know that is a process that takes time. In the meantime, carry on and stand up for your values. For me, those include truth, connection, engagement, and freedom of speech and expression.

And what is the point of “end DEI”? What part of diversity, equity, and inclusion does the Trump administration have a problem with? They might say that they have no problem with diversity per se and that they support equity, and that they support some types of inclusion. They would say they take issue with the conversations and approaches popular within the DEI movement. 

But the administration’s remedy is not engaging in the conversation, it is to “end DEI”. They would like us to just not talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion. They want us to be afraid of talking about these issues. But there is no way to avoid issues of diversity and equity in our diverse nation, which is struggling under the weight of historically large income inequality. And there is no way to avoid the topic of inclusion within public institutions meant to serve a public of diverse abilities and resources. 

Because these issues are inescapable, avoiding them is just another means of grappling with diversity, equity, and inclusion. But, instead of engaging in dialogue, they seek to ban speech and frighten educators. We who choose to stand by our values and talk about the issues we confront daily in American life: the law is on our side, and the Bill of Rights is on our side. Basic reason is on our side  -that as a nation we grow and develop through dialogue, not through bullying and banning and trying to frighten people. 

So, I encourage you to take courage, while we wait and see how the courts process the administration’s bizarre proclamations and actions. But, it’s important that you stand up for your values while we wait, otherwise, it doesn’t matter what the courts rule, the Trump administration will have already won.