As a white man, DEI means I get passed over. It's time to eliminate it. | Your Turn
It seems everyone has something to say on diversity, equity and inclusion these days, but we wanted to hear directly from you.
Diversity, equity and inclusion – better known as DEI – has been part of our national lexicon for decades. But in recent years DEI has dominated our political dialogue. No one has made that more clear than President Donald Trump, who has issued several executive orders that expressly roll back DEI initiatives within the federal government.
That move follows a trend we've seen in the public sector, where major American companies like Meta and Walmart have shifted their own policies amid an ongoing – and quite heated – political conversation.
It seems everyone has something to say on DEI these days (our Paste BN columnists certainly do), but we wanted to hear directly from you.
We received hundreds of responses from across the country and all sides of the political spectrum, and we're sharing a collection of those with you below. Want to participate in our next Opinion Forum? See what we're talking about at usatoday.com/opinion/forum. We look forward to you joining the conversation.
DEI is a necessary stopgap
To me, diversity, equity and inclusion means making a deliberate effort to build a strong system of worthy candidates, instead of just settling for whoever is handed the job without working for it. Diversity means strength and adaptability.
I think DEI makes a difference. It isn't nearly enough, but in the absence of systems that actually prioritize finding the best possible candidates, simply pushing for a variety of candidates improves the average quality.
I absolutely believe DEI has improved results across the board in all fields, though I'm not aware of specific examples that have been DEI-driven.
I strongly oppose elimination of DEI initiatives in government and private companies. Until the government or those companies show any consideration for hiring quality candidates, the absolute bare minimum they can do is hire a variety of candidates.
Once DEI has become so ingrained that it doesn't need to be required, then – ideally – we can move to simply giving everyone the opportunities they deserve. But for the decades, if not centuries, left before we reach that point, DEI is a necessary stopgap.
— David Ludwig, Covington, Washington
I don't check the boxes
DEI means that checking a list is more important than getting the right person in the position.
Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives force employers to make decisions not based on the betterment of their company but because of what some other people, not the process, see as needed.
This has affected my life because as a Caucasian man, I feel less sure when applying for a position because I know that I don't check any of the boxes companies are looking for. Also, I have seen coworkers fired because they have disagreed with a DEI hire.
I support the elimination of DEI because we want the best qualified people in the right positions, no matter their race or gender. This should help raise the standards once again of the workplace and the quality of those companies.
Nothing should replace DEI. The less government interference, the better.
— Edward McIntire, Monon, Indiana
I suffered because there was no DEI
I will not be spending any of my hard-earned money at any place that does not have DEI practices in place. I worked for 51 years and I watched all my white counterparts advance and make more money than I did doing the same job. It was all right in those days because you could count on one hand the people who looked like me at the company.
In today’s world, I don’t even get the amount of Social Security payments I should be getting because of the small amount of earnings I made in those 51 years.
If I don’t see someone who looks like me in an establishment, I will not spend my money there. That goes for retail, food services and any government entity. These folks want to divide us and make us feel like we don’t exist in America. How do you explain to your great-grandchildren that they are seen as less than little white "Betty" or "Bobby" because they don't measure up due to the color of their skin?
Division is what you get today. And it will get worse. And then what will all the folks of white privilege say the cause is?
Yes, I will be selective where my money will be spent. All you hear is “Make America Great Again.” Well folks, America is great. It’s just the narrow-minded folks who make it hard to stomach.
— Stephany Walton, Louisville, Kentucky
Diversity, equity and inclusion singles out one group as 'bad guys'
DEI makes a difference in that it singles out one group of people as "the bad guys" and the ones by whom all the problems in the world are caused. It does not seek to lift everyone up. Rather, it seeks to disenfranchise one group of people so that they have more advantages and feel better about themselves.
Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives had a negative effect on me. I believe I lost a position and was rejected for multiple other positions because I could not present the "correct" answer when asked about DEI during job interviews.
I fully support removal of government and company DEI initiatives changes. True DEI happens best when it is organic and not forced. These are places of business, not social experiment and values factories. I worked at a place that had a DEI program, and it took the focus away from customer service and taking care of people.
People will be who they are; let the forces of nature and society make those changes and let people make their own choices.
— Scott Piepenburg, Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Go the extra mile to realize the American dream
DEI is America going the extra mile to live up to the American dream. It is an attempt to bring about equal outcomes for all segments of American society.
America has prospered for as long as it has because our diversity is our strength. Tapping the talents of all segments of our society strengthens and reinforces the matrix that is America. World War II examples include Navajo Code Talkers, second-generation Japanese American soldiers in Italy and the Tuskegee Airmen.
The anti-DEI campaign by President Donald Trump could well mark the final stage of the South's victory in the Civil War. That war was fought to keep African American slaves in their place. When their military efforts failed, the South resorted to other means: Black codes, the Ku Klux Klan, Jim Crow laws, lynching, segregation, voter suppression, etc.
I've got to give the South credit; they've never stopped fighting. And now with the help of northern racists such as Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Elon Musk, they are on the verge of complete victory. Black Americans and other disadvantaged groups “poisoning the blood of our country,” as Trump says, will finally be marginalized forever.
The anti-DEI campaign is racism pure and simple. Trump & Co. talk about a meritocracy while they cynically put charlatans such as Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard in positions of immense power and importance. The anti-DEI campaign is all about marginalizing and persecuting minorities and trans people while cementing the power of Trump and his oligarchy of rich white men.
I happen to be a white male, age 73. I had a 40-year career as a Defense Department civilian and I was, and remain, a supporter of DEI.
— Thomas Gorman, Beavercreek, Ohio
DEI makes America less safe
Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives mean that people will get hired for jobs even if they are not the most qualified. This policy has made it less safe to do many things in America because of cases where the most qualified person was not hired so a DEI quota could be met. It uses my tax dollars for implementing a bad policy.
DEI has no business being involved in the hiring process for any company or government position. At its core, DEI is simply a form of racism or an unfair and inappropriate bias for one person over another to be selected.
An unfair and sometimes dangerous policy doesn't necessarily need to be replaced with anything. It simply needs to be canceled, so that the best, most qualified human can be selected for the position, without consideration of anything other than qualifications, skills, knowledge and ability to perform the task or job.
— Terry Swant, Rockford, Iowa
I remember a world pre-DEI. We don't want to go back.
As a 69-year-old retired attorney, I remember when it was known that white men were the preferred hires and that women and minorities were always let off first no matter what their background was. I remember in law firms where I was the only woman who was not a legal secretary. I remember over and over again when the partners were all white males except for one token white female, who was often interchanged with other white females.
I remember in high school when women got no money for interschool sports because it was before Title IX. I remember never seeing a lawyer who was a woman or a person of color before I started law school in 1977. I remember when we studied the reasonable-man standard in law school before it was finally changed to the reasonable-person standard in the late 1970s. I guess before that there were no reasonable women in the law.
DEI is only attempting to get non-white, non-male people a chance at the table when we had not gotten the chance before. Most people don’t remember all this stuff, but it is quite vivid in my memory.
I always knew they would much rather hire a straight, white male than me. I remembered getting paid significantly less than straight white males who had less experience than I did and knowing I just had to accept it.
There are good reasons for DEI measures: The wrongs have not been righted. Straight white men still have way more power – financially, legally, etc. – than their percentage in the U.S. population would indicate. And now we are going to go backward!
— Susan Nicholson, Danville, California