President Trump and Elon Musk are currently dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs across the country. DEI programs recruit and retain people of color, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups to address ongoing bias in hiring and admission practices, and to repair prior discriminatory policies and practices that excluded them from employment and higher education.  

The Education Department recently terminated all 32 of its outstanding DEI training grants and directed state departments of education to end all DEI-related programs and practices in schools in their state by February 28, or federal funding to states would be cut. The General Services Administration also announced that federal agencies can no longer consider a company’s DEI practices when deciding to contract with them, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has cancelled more than 100 DEI-related contracts. This attack has also caused corporations across the country to end their DEI efforts, in fear of retribution by this Administration.  

The recent attacks on DEI are part of a long tradition of discrimination in the workplace, classroom, and public square, but are often seen as direct backlash against the racial justice efforts that ignited after the 2020 murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. At the time, workplaces, schools, and other institutions announced plans to expand DEI efforts and to incorporate anti-racism principles in their communities. In response, anti-DEI activists and think tanks went on the offensive, spreading hysteria and misinformation about these programs in mainstream media. 

Ending DEI programs will restrict access to critical resources and job opportunities for people of color, members of the LGBTQ community, people with disabilities, and many others across the country. This will reduce society’s ability to foster inclusive and equitable environments. Exclusion and discrimination of already marginalized groups will only increase as these attacks on DEI continue.  

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  

This shows Jesus’s true love for all people, no matter who they were, exemplifying the value of diversity, the importance of inclusion and the obligation of justice and restoration. We as Christians must support this cherished mission, and fight for a society that fully aligns with these values.  

The United Church of Christ stands in solidarity with the creation narrative in Genesis 1:26-27, which clearly outlines what matters to God—building a just world for all where humanity is seen in all of its beauty and diversity and thriving as a human family with equity and full inclusion around the globe. Humanity is created in the image of God, sharing equal status as human beings. 

This Black History Month, we must tell Congress that we won’t back down – we will continue to fight for DEI programs and practices, as our faith instructs!