DEI Movement

Extracted Attributes

• Core Components

  Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

• Historical Roots

  1960s Civil Rights Movement (Equal Pay Act of 1963, Civil Rights Act of 1964)

• Primary Criticisms

  Allegations of being inherently racist, illegal in implementation, and promoting 'woke' ideology

• 2023 Political Status

  Identified as a 'Political Loser' by the All-In Podcast

• Industry Status (2019)

  Described by Time magazine as having 'exploded'

Timeline

• The Equal Pay Act is enacted, serving as an early legislative root for workplace equity. (Source: ABC News)

  1963-06-10

• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 is signed into law, addressing labor issues based on protected classes. (Source: ABC News)

  1964-07-02

• President Barack Obama signs Executive Order 13583 concerning diversity and inclusion in the federal workforce. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2011-08-18

• Time magazine reports that the DEI industry has 'exploded' following the rise of the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2019-01-01

• The death of George Floyd triggers a national racial reckoning, accelerating the adoption of DEI programs. (Source: CNN)

  2020-05-25

• The All-In Podcast hosts name the DEI Movement a 'Political Loser' of 2023 during their annual Bestie Awards. (Source: Document 47c5a1f9-3bf9-4d68-ae85-a92717b28f78)

  2023-12-01

• Investor Bill Ackman publishes a 4,000-word critique on X, labeling DEI as 'inherently racist'. (Source: CNN)

  2024-01-01

• The satirical documentary 'Am I Racist?' is released in U.S. theaters, lampooning the DEI movement. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2024-09-13

• Reports indicate McDonald's is ending some of its DEI practices amid broader corporate pullbacks. (Source: CNN)

  2024-10-23

Am I Racist?

Am I Racist? is a 2024 American satirical documentary comedy film starring conservative political commentator Matt Walsh that lampoons the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) movement. Directed by Justin Folk for The Daily Wire, it follows Walsh as he poses as a "bumbling DEI trainee", using subterfuge to interview experts and attend anti-racism workshops. The film has been described as a mockumentary in the style of Borat. With a production budget of $3 million, the film was theatrically released in the United States on September 13, 2024. It grossed $12.3 million, becoming the highest-grossing documentary film of 2024.

Web Search Results

• A look at what DEI means amid Trump executive orders - ABC News

  DEI has its roots in the 1960's anti-discrimination legislative movement when laws like the Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 addressed labor issues based on protected classes. Companies had to comply with these anti-discrimination laws, and the DEI movement stems from these efforts to continue creating equitable workplaces and schools. [...] DEI initiatives are intended to address and correct discriminatory policies or practices that may be found within an organization, according to Tina Opie, a DEI consultant and professor at Babson College. Experts told ABC News that some examples of DEI initiatives include: implementing accessibility measures for people with disabilities, addressing gender pay inequity, expanding recruitment practices among underrepresented demographics, holding anti-discrimination trainings and more. [...] ## Why are such a number of conservatives attacking it? DEI initiatives have come under attack by conservative legislators, including Trump, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. ## Popular Reads ## Sheriff releases dash cam video that may show missing 19-year-old girl 2 hours ago ## Man doing target practice in backyard accused of fatally shooting woman blocks away Dec 26, 7:43 PM ## Rob Reiner's son arrested for murder in stabbing death of famed director, wife

• Dismantling DEI: A Coordinated Attack on American Values

  From state legislatures and court houses to Congress, universities, and business board rooms, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives are under attack in the United States. Far-right extremists and conservative lawmakers are politicizing these initiatives in an effort to regress back to a time when communities of color, women, LGBTQ people and others were marginalized and silenced. [...] Founded in 2006, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) is an independent, nonprofit think tank that provides rigorous research, insight and communications that help speed equality and opportunity for all. [...] Recommended citation:Movement Advancement Project. July 2024. Dismantling DEI: A Coordinated Attack on American Values. www.mapresearch.org/2024-DEI-report. Accessed [date of access]. #### Author Movement Advancement Project (MAP) ## Stay Informed Be the first to know about new reports and MAP news by signing up for our newsletter #### Democracy Maps Snapshot Choose a state) Choose an issue) #### Equality Maps Snapshot Choose a state) Choose an issue) #### Policy

• What is DEI, the concept dividing America? - CNN

  The backlash against DEI may feel like a pendulum swing from 2020, when the nation faced a racial reckoning after Black father George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis by a White police officer. But the DEI practice has been around for decades. The origins of DEI programs date to the Civil Rights Movement, which played a pivotal role in accelerating efforts to create more diverse and inclusive workplaces, said Dominique Hollins, founder of the DEI consulting firm WĒ360. [...] In recent years, DEI has become a social and political lightningrod forlawmakers, corporate leaders and conservative activists who have sought to cast such initiatives as unfair and even racist, with some emboldened by the Supreme Court’s gutting of affirmative action. Customers pass in the drive thru lane during breakfast hours at a McDonald’s restaurant on October 23, 2024 in Omaha, Nebraska. Mario Tama/Getty Images Related article McDonald’s is ending some of its DEI practices [...] Ackman, the billionaire investor, last year posted a 4,000-word opus on X criticizing DEI as “inherently a racist and illegal movement in its implementation even if it purports to work on behalf of the so-called oppressed.” Musk, the Trump confidant and billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO, later reposted it on X, which he owns.

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs - Britannica

  Calibri font becomes the latest DEI target as Rubio orders return to Times New Roman • Dec. 10, 2025, 12:52 PM ET (AP) Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs—meant to address historical and systemic disparities based on race, gender, age, ability, and sexual orientation in the workplace—became a controversial cornerstone for both the government and private sector in the 21st century. [...] Let’s begin by exploring what each of the components of DEI—diversity, equity, and inclusion—mean in the context of the movement. Diversity refers to whether an institution reflects the broader community at large, including gender, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, age, disability, culture, class, religion, and other life experience. Examples include: [...] Historians and DEI experts say that no one person has been identified as the founder of DEI and that its history follows no concrete timeline. Some DEI accounts trace attempts at official diversity, equity, and inclusion to the administration of Truman, while others point to U.S. Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson and the enactment of civil rights legislation in the 1960s. But a closer examination of history reveals that the United States has wrestled with ideals of diversity, equity, and inclusion since

• Diversity, equity, and inclusion - Wikipedia

  "Diversity hire", "equity hire", or "DEI hire", are disparaging and controversial labels for persons from underrepresented groups, which are, according to this label, assumed to be less qualified and have supposedly received preferential treatment due to DEI policies. Wording of some DEI initiatives can backfire and contribute to the self-perception of the hired person that they would not have been hired solely based on formal merit and have only been hired due to a combination of their [...] ## Diversity issues in other countries [edit] DEI issues, sometimes with different terminology, are of concern in numerous countries around the world in the 21st century. In Australian workplaces, DEI initiatives primarily address gender and Indigenous inclusion, while comparatively less emphasis is placed on disability, LGBTQ+, and socio-economic diversity. In Japan and Iceland, DEI efforts often concentrate on gender and age equality. [...] agencies to increase veteran hiring (especially disabled veterans), set goals for improvement, and establish the Veterans Employment Program Office to provide assistance and resources for veterans in civilian employment. In 2011, Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13583 concerning diversity and inclusion. After the election of Donald Trump in 2016 and the ascent of the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements, Time "Time (magazine)") magazine stated in 2019 that the DEI industry had "exploded"