What exactly is happening to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs in the wake of President Donald Trump’s denouncement of them? At one U.S. institution, the DEI program is living on – just with a new name.
Earlier this week, MPR reported that the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota changed the name of its Office of Equity, Inclusion and Diversity to the Office of Belonging, citing an internal communication to staff. As of Friday, the Mayo Clinic website has a page up for the Office of Belonging.
“Equity is embodied in every aspect of Mayo Clinic, from the individuals who constitute it to the organization as a whole,” said the page. “We embrace all people who come through our doors, whatever their race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, military service, faith, or culture. Success is only possible when we include diverse experiences, perspectives, thoughts and voices in everything we do.”
On his first day in office, Trump issued an executive order calling for DEI programs in the federal government to end. Days later, most employees in DEI programs were told they were out of jobs. Trump has also threatened non-governmental institutions over their DEI programs. He’s even calling for Harvard to lose its tax-exempt status over alleged antisemitism and use of DEI policies.
“I guess I have to hand it to organizations like the Mayo Clinic, what Mayo Clinic has done,” said WCCO News Talk’s Jason DeRusha of the move. “I mean, the people who run the Mayo Clinic are not idiots.”
While the clinic isn’t a government agency, it does receive federal funding. Trump’s administration, especially the new Department of Government Efficiency, has been moving to cut spending throughout the government.
An increase in DEI programs came about late in Trump’s first term, after the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by former Minneapolis Police Department officer Derek Chauvin, a white man. DeRusha noted how corporations felt pressured do something about inequality as protests broke out across the globe in reaction to Floyd’s death. Since Trump’s order, there has been a pullback on the programs.
However, NBC News reported back in February of 2023 that the DEI push already seemed to be waning. It said that DEI leaders “hired in waves to help companies achieve an ethnically balanced workforce,” after Floyd’s murder were being “phased out,” based on survey data.
Still, when Target, Walmart, Amazon, PepsiCo and other companies eliminated policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity among their employees this year, people took notice. Target’s moves, for example, were met with protests and boycotts. This week, WCCO reported that Target CEO Brian Cornell met with Rev. Al Sharpton, whose civil rights organization has encouraged consumers to avoid U.S. retailers that scaled backed their DEI initiatives.
“Let me say this. I believe that having diverse perspectives and diverse workforces is good for business. It's good for government, it’s good business, it helps you connect with your audience, with your customer,” said De Rusha. “I do think... that the previous administration was sort of using DEI scorecards as similarly dumb.”
He also noted that the boycott against Target does seem to be working, or at least it happening at the same time as a decline in foot traffic at the retailer. Cornell’s meeting with Sharpton apparently went well though, with Sharpton calling it “constructive and candid.”
“I think if you’re a legit company or school or government agency that cares about who you serve, the actual work should be the same – like change the name, make it the office of belonging instead of office of DEI – but to me that work is good work that should keep happening,” said DeRusha.