Amidst a wave of opposition to diversity programs, companies across the country have been quick to tone down or move away from their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The change is especially evident in the tech industry, where new rounds of layoffs have targeted DEI teams over employees more essential to product development.

Yet many of these corporate programs bloomed only four years ago in the aftermath of George Floyd's brutal death. Has our country progressed so much as to make DEI obsolete? Or is this a direct response to new political pressures that seek to eliminate DEI efforts due to a dearth of short-term results—despite the fact that DEI programs seek to rectify centuries of economic injustice?