The Attack on DEI: What Can the Youth Do? 

An illustration showing people of different genders, races and backgrounds.
(Image from G2)

The month of January is over, and it looks like Trump’s executive order on the 20th that placed all DEI government staff on administrative leave (effectively immediately!) by framing DEI as “radical and wasteful” has started to impact other public sectors. 

Some companies have responded by doubling down on their DEI policies, reinstating the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion; others have retracted their former DEI policies. 

If this is something you care about, you may have been wondering what you can do to show your support or fight back against the narrative that DEI initiatives have done more harm than good. 

It is always important to remember that people have power—whether that be through their identity as a consumer or as a civilian in a democratic country. 

For our purposes, we can leverage our position as consumers to actively support companies that stand behind DEI, while withholding our money from businesses that have turned their back on it. 

Here is a list of some companies you may have heard from, or already have purchased from, and their stance on DEI:  

List of companies that support DEI:

  • Ben & Jerry’s
  • Costco
  • Pinterest 
  • Apple 
  • Microsoft 
  • JPMorgan Chase
  • Delta Air Lines
  • e.l.f. Beauty

List of companies that rolled back their DEI efforts: 

  • Target 
  • Amazon
  • Walmart 
  • Meta 
  • McDonalds 
  • Ford 
  • Lowe’s
  • Boeing
  • Disney 
  • Aldi 

Other ways you can show your support is by directly contacting companies through their email addresses and telling them you appreciate them. Conversely, you can also contact companies that have quietly rolled back their policies or gotten rid of their DEI departments to express dissent and disapproval. 

The most important thing the youth can do right now is remember that not only do we have rights, we have to exercise them. It can be very easy to feel swept up in all these changes and to feel powerless, but knowledge is power! 

One prominent way past leaders and restrictive governments have effectively reduced individual, and therefore, group, power was by keeping the public uneducated and misinformed. 

We see an upsurge of disinformation on the internet now more than ever, and social media apps like Instagram and Facebook no longer support fact-checking resources. 

It may not feel like a lot, but making sure you’re updated on what’s going on, what’s being attacked, and how events  are being presented is key to ensuring that you don’t get taken advantage of. 

Other resources: