Submit a pitch: “The Anti-DEI Movement will Reshape Leadership”

For good or ill, leaders’ actions and choices are shaped by the broader socio-political context. For example, there was an increased attention and collective commitment to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in the summer of 2020 in response to what many have referred to as a racial reckoning after the murder of George Floyd. 

Organizations across sectors created chief diversity officer positions and leaders made bold plans or initiatives to invest in historically under resourced and undersupported communities. There was, of course, a swift backlash; less than five years after such expressed commitments and investment, we see many government, business, and school leaders rapidly dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives across sectors.

For example, more than 329 colleges in 40 states have pulled back, diminished or altogether ended various elements of programs aiming to foster diversity, equity and inclusion since January 2023. Education at the K-12 level has also been significantly impacted by the anti-DEI agenda. A host of companies have rolled back their ambitious, extensive initiatives that were designed to increase the diverse representation and cultural inclusion of leaders by providing equitable access to career and business development opportunities.

Not only has the enthusiastic climate toward racial justice and social impact in 2020 soured, the legal and normative parameters for considering and supporting people who belong to one or more protected categories (especially Black people in the U.S.) have been replaced with anti-DEI rhetoric and upheaval. People who have led efforts to create and maintain equitable policies and practices (e.g., chief diversity officers) have been stigmatized, fired with little notice, reassigned to other departments, and assigned the blame for failed initiatives. It is clear that leading efforts to increase diverse representation is growing increasingly complex as the landscape continues to shift and resistance grows more vocal and legitimized.

Despite these challenges, there are still leaders who are committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, principles and policies because of the well-documented benefits they provide for decision making, problem solving, creativity, social cohesion and overall well-being. These leaders are navigating the necessary pivots in strategy, programming and communications in order to respond and navigate the anti-DEI movement. 

In this context, leaders must face the significant changes required in legal compliance, recruitment, leadership development, business development, organizational learning, marketing, communications, and stakeholder engagement in an increasingly diverse, interconnected system of social services and commercial activity. Despite – or perhaps because of – efforts to subvert the emphasis on race, gender, sexual orientation and other protected categories, the spotlight on “DEI” efforts has only grown brighter in 2025.

Leaders who continue to be committed to the core values of diversity, equity and inclusion must develop a clear agenda for the future. Those who seek to provide safer and more equitable access to educational, career and business development opportunities will need to implement new or adapted leadership practices that meet the unique, emerging challenges of the unfolding political and economic climate. 

In this Spark Magazine series we invite scholars across disciplines who can offer a critical lens and informed guidance to navigate the current leadership challenges and opportunities in higher education and across sectors. Submissions may address questions such as: 

• How do leaders respond to overt and subversive attacks on their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives? Which responses are most effective, and under which circumstances?
• Which identity categories and marginalized communities are impacted most significantly in this anti-DEI era, and how do leaders need to respond differently to varied DEI disruptions (e.g., anti-racism vs queer-affirming vs sanctuary sites vs anti-Semitism etc.)?
• How do leaders balance and prioritize the needs of various stakeholders, based on their assessments of risk and opportunities of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion?
• What can we learn from leaders of color and leaders from other marginalized identities who have experienced backlash as leaders, past and present?
• How can we encourage nontraditional leadership models such as shared leadership or partnership leadership?

Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, Frank M. Sands Sr. Associate Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia, will curate this series. Dr. Roberts’ research focuses on the science of maximizing human potential in diverse organizations and communities.