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DEI is disappearing—but does that mean the fight is over?

As companies and the new administration cut diversity programs, we must ask: what’s next and how will this affect AA+PIs?

AA+PI employees are among the least likely to feel included in workplace diversity efforts.

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Words by Xintian Wang

I first “lived” with the term “DEI” (diversity, equity, and inclusion) when I was hired to report on it for a legacy business magazine back in 2021. I still remember my editor’s excitement, proclaiming it the first time the magazine had a dedicated reporter for the topic. Soon after, company executives asked me to lead the AA+PI employee resource group (ERG). While I was proud of the opportunity, I couldn’t shake the nagging thought: Was I a “diversity hire?” Despite my qualifications, I wondered if others might question my merit because of my background as the only writer of color on the editorial team. This unease was my first glimpse into how fraught the DEI conversation could be.

Fast forward to today, and DEI programs are at a crossroads. President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, signed on Jan. 21, dismantling DEI initiatives within the federal government has added fuel to an already fiery debate. The sweeping order has mandated the termination of all DEI-related offices, employees, and programs across federal agencies, labeling them as divisive and wasteful. This decision mirrors the growing trend of corporate rollbacks, with Meta being one of the latest companies to disband its DEI team. Internal memos reveal that Meta justified the cuts as part of broader cost-saving measures, but the timing aligns with a broader backlash against DEI programs in both the public and private sectors. Corporate giants such as Microsoft, Walmart, McDonald’s, Ford, and Lowe’s have either scaled back or restructured their DEI efforts over the past year.

For AA+PI professionals, the implications are particularly concerning. The "model minority" stereotype often excludes us from discussions of workplace equity, even as we face challenges such as underrepresentation in leadership and pervasive workplace discrimination.

What does this mean for AA+PI professionals?

The elimination of DEI programs exacerbates the existing challenges faced by AA+PI employees, who are already among the least likely to feel included in workplace diversity efforts. Lily Zheng, a corporate DEI strategist, points out that these cuts risk stalling progress on systemic barriers like the “bamboo ceiling,” a term describing the limited upward mobility of Asian Americans in leadership roles.

“More than one in three Asian Americans have experienced racism at work,” Zheng tells JoySauce. “Efforts to improve these realities under the DEI umbrella may stall as DEI programs are cut and deprioritized, risking the wellbeing and professional success of AA+PI workers, alongside all others experiencing workplace discrimination. If employers capitulate to political pressure to scrap or roll back successful programs, their workforce and workplace culture will suffer for it.”

 “The scaling back of DEI initiatives, such as ERGs, risks deepening feelings of exclusion for many Asian employees, who often already feel sidelined in workplace diversity discussions. Without these resources, a sense of belonging may become even more elusive for AA+PI employees."

Alice Zhang, co-founder and CEO of Anise Health agrees. She says these changes will take a toll on employees’ mental health. “The scaling back of DEI initiatives, such as ERGs, risks deepening feelings of exclusion for many Asian employees, who often already feel sidelined in workplace diversity discussions. Without these resources, a sense of belonging may become even more elusive for AA+PI employees,” she says.

Strategies for leaders and employees

While the federal rollback represents a significant setback, there are steps that leaders and employees can take to maintain progress.

Zheng emphasizes that ensuring AA+PI voices remain central to conversations about diversity and inclusion requires intentional outreach. “Explicitly reaching out to AA+PI workers, particularly through channels like employee resource groups, can help these communities feel heard and provide valuable insights,” they explain.

They also advocate for moving away from “identity fractionism,” which views DEI as serving distinct, isolated identity groups, and toward “targeted universalism.” “This approach sees DEI as a way to create better systems and workplaces for everyone by focusing on the needs of the most underserved and designing solutions with those needs in mind,” Zheng says.

Zhang echoes the importance of support systems, particularly for AA+PI employees who may feel marginalized in the absence of formal DEI initiatives. “Culturally responsive therapists and coaches can provide empathy, practical strategies, and an unbiased perspective for navigating majority-culture workplaces,” she says.

For leaders, Zhang advises fostering an environment in which AA+PI employees feel supported and valued, even without formal DEI structures in place. “Empathy, cultural awareness, and active listening are essential,” she explains. “Leaders can create psychologically safe spaces for open communication and recommend external resources tailored to AA+PI experiences, like Anise Health, Asian Mental Health Project, Stand With Asian Americans, Stop AAPI Hate, or the Asians Are Strong. Encouraging informal peer networks is another meaningful way to ensure employees feel connected and supported.”

Beyond DEI: What’s next?

As the backlash against DEI gains traction, the term itself is becoming increasingly contentious, raising questions about its long-term viability in the workplace. Recent polls show that support for DEI has dropped as the term becomes seen as contentious, and companies have already been less visible with their explicit use of the term.

Zheng suggests that this shift might open the door for a new framework: FAIR, which stands for fairness, access, inclusion, and representation.

“While language will continue to evolve, an emerging alternative that organizations can consider to discuss their human-centered efforts to benefit all is FAIR,” Zheng says. In their recent article published in Harvard Business Review, Zheng says that FAIR aims to center workplace initiatives around outcomes rather than ideology, offering a more universally accepted approach to building equitable systems. As organizations navigate this new terrain, frameworks like FAIR could serve as a path forward, ensuring that inclusion remains a priority despite the challenges facing traditional DEI initiatives.

Published on February 4, 2025

Words by Xintian Wang

Xintian Tina Wang is a bilingual journalist covering cultural stereotypes and innovations, including gender and sexuality, arts, business, and technology. Her recent work appears in TIME, ARTNews, Huffpost, Teen Vogue, VICE, The Daily Beast, Inc. Magazine etc. She is also the board director for the Asian American Journalist Association (AAJA) New York Chapter. As a journalist of color and a visual storyteller, she is constantly speaking for cultural minority groups whose voices are buried in mainstream discourses. Her documentary Size 22 won the "Best Short Documentary" at the Boston Short Film Festival and an "Audience Award" at the New England Film Festival. Her photography work is featured in TIME, HuffPost, The Sunday Times, Air Mail, etc. Visit her website at www.xintianwang.net.