Conservatives’ Anti-DEI Efforts Showcase America’s Anti-Black Agenda

By Aya Waller-Bey, Contributing Columnist It’s been a year since the conservative-majority United States Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions practices, shattering 50 years of affirmative action precedent in higher education. The decision ushered in a wave of conservative–backed, anti-DEI and anti-Black legislation, as well as lawsuits against several universities and organizations across the country. The Court’s decision represented a strategic backlash against racial diversity, equity, and inclusion, with everything from attacks on university-sponsored, race-conscious scholarship programs at North Central University and Duke University to lawsuits against a reparation program created in Evanston, Ill., to attacks on support for Black descendants of housing discrimination and segregation. Scholars and researchers have indicated that previous anti-affirmative action decisions have led to a chilling effect–a decrease in racial diversity on college campuses among students and faculty. However, the barrage of legal contestations, coupled with rampant misinformation about the purpose and utility of DEI, indicates the affirmative action ruling was not the conservative endgame, but the beginning of their playbook. A few weeks ago, former Detroit TV reporter and anchor Jeff Vaughn filed a lawsuit alleging he was fired from a Los Angeles TV station group because he is an older, white, straight man....