DEI-ing for change

Donald Trump and his administration have issued multiple warnings to educational institutions that their federal funding will be frozen if they refuse to dissolve their DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs. This is a major threat to public schools that rely on the federal government for funding school lunches, teacher salaries, school supplies, and other general necessities. These schools, specifically those without enough resources, do not have the luxury to decline his demands. As a result, DEI programs everywhere are being slashed. Although it may not seem like a threat to many people, they fail to understand the crucial nature of DEI. 

DEI is a broadly defined organizational concept that strives to promote inclusivity of all people within institutions. These programs, within schools specifically, deal with ensuring schools are a safe space for all students by minimizing antisemitism, racism, sexism, homophobia, and more. Discriminatory rhetoric and actions have been present in schools since their founding. Furthermore, integrated schools are a relatively new concept for the US, and many minority groups continue to face microaggressions and even hate from their peers and teachers in schools they are required to attend. 

This is why DEI exists. Faculty who run DEI programs have the task of bringing misunderstanding and hate to light so they aren’t swept under the rug, as so often has been the case historically.

Public institutions are not the only ones that face a threat from Trump’s new policies. News outlets have reported that 2.2 billion dollars in multi-year grants to Harvard University will be frozen because it rejected the administration’s demands to capitulate to its executive orders. Trump’s antisemitism task force recently sent Harvard a letter that demanded it cooperate with many policies, including strict bans on face masks, cooperation with ICE, and dissolution of DEI programs. Besides the fact that none of these demands has anything to do with preventing antisemitism, these initiatives are simply Trump’s sorry attempt at attacking a prestigious and renowned institution for its willingness to ensure that all people feel welcome and confident to pursue an elite education regardless of their identities. The alternative demands that Trump’s administration hid in their letter to Harvard prove that the effort is not just about DEI, but it is also about pushing his agenda. DEI programs in universities are meant to ensure that all students have the ability to learn and thrive. Harvard is lucky enough to have the resources to decline the government’s outrageous demands, but smaller private institutions—including Mercersburg Academy—may not have this luxury.

As these attacks on minorities continue throughout institutions all over the country, Trump’s feckless cabinet members are issuing statements, such as that from Craig Trainor, the Department of Education’s assistant secretary for civil rights: “Federal financial assistance is a privilege, not a right.” Funding that provides schools with the ability to feed their students and pay their teachers is a right, yet Trump’s administration is treating such funding like a child’s Halloween candy. 

Citizens must understand that prioritizing diversity is not a threat to majority groups. Diversity is the very thing that makes this country great. The Olympics are a perfect example of how people of all different backgrounds and races come together to compete for one common entity: the USA. What does it say when a president manipulates his power to dismantle the very institutions that define our country?