Racial Impacts of Anti-DEI: Results from Year 1 of Trump II
Adrienne Aiken
May 2026
This is a report on the material consequences of federal “anti-DEI” policies on Black people in the U.S. It examines how the Trump Administration’s recharacterization of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as “illegal,” “wasteful,” and “immoral” has driven widespread dismantling of DEI initiatives across education and employment, producing disproportionate harms for Black individuals and communities. Although framed as efforts to enforce civil rights law and promote neutrality, these policies operate through funding threats, legal ambiguity, and administrative pressure to curtail programs designed to address longstanding racial inequality. By tracing the material consequences of these policies, the report demonstrates how the dismantling of DEI infrastructure has already constrained access to education, weakened employment pipelines and eroded critical community protections.
This report proceeds in three parts. Part I introduces the legal and political context surrounding contemporary attacks on DEI, including the implications of SFFA and the constitutional challenges to Executive Orders 14151 and 14173. Part II examines the rollback of DEI initiatives in higher education, detailing the loss of scholarships, institutional funding, mentorship structures, and inclusive campus environments, and analyzing the resulting decline in Black student access and representation. Part III explores the retreat from DEI across the public and private workforce, highlighting the elimination of diversity pipelines, internships, and leadership initiatives, as well as the broader economic and professional consequences for Black workers and communities. What we found is a dramatic and historic reversal of opportunities for Black individuals and communities based on their perceived association with DEI philosophy.
Read the report below: