University-wide DEI cuts”, “The DEI candidate”, “Dismantle DEI Act”, “Affirmative Action”. It’s all enough to make your head spin.

In today’s turbulent political scene, we often hear about “DEI”. But what does this term mean? Why are so many people against this? And why the sudden shift?

I recently had the opportunity to attend the United States Leadership Institute Conference in Chicago, Illinois, where I heard from seasoned Latino industry leaders who held thought-provoking viewpoints on DEI’s role in today’s society.

These in-depth forums and workshops couldn’t have come at a better time for me, as I’m now able to relay some of the information and advice these Latino business magnates shared with the audience and me.

DEI, in itself, stands for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Diversity ensures a safe space for everyone, no matter your background or beliefs, and equity means exactly what it sounds like, equality for everyone. Inclusion doesn’t stand for anything shady either. It simply means incorporating people of all cultures and situations.

So if there’s no funny business regarding DEI, where’s the sudden backlash coming from? What’s the argument?

DEI isn’t a new concept. These initiatives can be traced back to the 1960s, according to Forbes. These efforts came to light after the Civil Rights Movement.

Many speakers had ideas outlining the sudden rise of xenophobia and fear around the current immigration policies that have risen in the past and current presidential administrations.

As the new Trump administration attempts to develop a new immigration agenda for the United States, the topic of race has been touchy not only in the media but in the workplace and across the nation in public educational facilities.

But I am setting forth that DEI isn’t political. Or at least, it shouldn’t be.

DEI is as simple as it sounds: diversity, equity, and inclusion. This includes not only people of different races, but of various ages, genders, sexualities, and socioeconomic statuses.

“DEI is the first step to ending irrational racism or ungrounded hate… there’s no basis for any opposition against DEI,” President & General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense & Educational Fund Thomas A. Saenz said.

There is no solid argument against DEI. DEI simply aims to root out systemic mechanisms aimed at putting minorities at a disadvantage.

Affirmative action in college admissions, for example, was a hotly debated DEI initiative. The objective of this set of policies was to get more people from underrepresented communities into the same educational opportunities as people who had no societal obstacles when it came to college admissions.

DEI’s goal is only to make sure everyone is on equal footing, with the key word here being equal. DEI is not about giving anyone a “free pass”, so let’s make this clear. If a minority competitor beats someone out at an opportunity, it’s not because of any DEI effort, it’s simply because they are more qualified. Period.

“DEI is only making promise [the goal] of the Civil Rights Movement… its implementation is merely on the basis of equality,” Cid Wilson, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility said.

As the nation plummets towards extremism and polarization, there has been a widespread movement toward ending and defunding DEI programs across the country.

Cutting out all DEI programs would not only harm the welcoming nature of many public systems, but it would also impair the overall effectiveness and productivity of many businesses.

“From the business perspective, inclusion of everybody is essential to the leaders of America. Most of us [the minority population] are young and only getting stronger,” co-founder of Angeles Investors Adela Cepeda said. “No one is opening businesses as often as Latinos, for example, and the number of businesses opened is only higher for Latinas.”

U.S. Latinos now generate an astounding $3.6 trillion GDP, making the Hispanic community the 5th largest economy in the world, larger than India, the U.K., and France. And these rates are not set to stall anytime soon. Sol Trujillo, Chairman of Trujillo Group Investments shared that Hispanic GDP is growing faster than every other country except China, positioning this community to surpass Germany by 2027 and reach a whopping $5.7 trillion by 2029.

So, in short, discounting the Hispanic market is not only deliberately discriminatory, but it’s a missed business opportunity and stark liability for any business trying to expand its market share or increase its revenue in any way. Ignoring this community will only mean a strong opportunity cost for any business venture.

No matter if we’re referring to the employment of DEI principles in the business, private, or public sectors, the anti-DEI movement is plain in its purpose. It should be called out for exactly what it is: bias and racism.

The question now is, what will you do against this blatant hate? Will you move with us or against us? Because we’re not going to be slowing down anytime soon.

Keep up or get left behind.