Eliminating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

“We condemn racism, ethnocentrism, tribalism, and any ideology or social practice based on false and misleading beliefs or ideologies that one group of human beings is superior to all other groups of human beings.” (The United Methodist Social Principles, ¶162 The Social Community, L., Racism, Ethnocentrism, and Tribalism)

Background

The current administration has written multiple executive orders calling for the elimination of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History Executive Order is a bold expression of hate for DEI wrapped in a thinly veiled push for American patriotism, while dismissing all connections to the oppressive past of the United States. This administration is attempting to rewrite U.S. history by highlighting the long centuries of racial and colonial injustices as fake and exaggerated.

“In the United States, Whiteness as a concept and racialized identity has always been placed at the top of the societal hierarchy. As a result, white people in this country continue to benefit from a wide range of unearned privileges based solely on their race. These privileges are the direct and indirect result of practices, policies, and procedures stemming from a system of white supremacy, out of which the United States was formed and in which it continues to operate.” (United Methodist Church, Book of Resolutions, #3328 White Privilege in the U.S.)

In an attempt to implement a government-wide effort to unravel decades of civil inclusion and social justice advances, thousands of civil servants affiliated with DEI job titles were fired under the guise of government efficiency. The administration has also ordered all government documents to purge a list of over 200 words deemed “woke” language. In agencies like the Defense Department (DOD), this racist directive has meant the erasure of information on Black war heroes, the deletion of pages about Holocaust remembrance and purges of ethnic content at military academy libraries.

The White House’s opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion is also being imposed upon the education system. The Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling Executive Order cuts off funding to public schools which teach students about the issues of race and gender. Instead, the administration requires them to promote “Patriotic Education". The Education Department is enforcing this propagandistic order, launching an investigation into more than 50 universities for their attempts to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity on campuses.

“Telling the truth of a nation’s history is not only a moral imperative, it is necessary to avoid repeating the mistakes of an immoral past. This is true even when the truth is uncomfortable and painful. When we educate ourselves on a nation’s history regarding race, indigenous tribes, gender, and disability, we yearn for and feel compelled to create a country where all people are treated justly and where we live in harmony with one another.” United Methodist Council of Bishops Letter (May 7, 2025), A Stand Against Dismantling of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policies.

Actions You Can Take

• Contact your elected officials and implore reconsideration and repeal of the administration’s removal of Diversity Equity and Inclusion policies
• Affirm and participate in the denomination’s ongoing work in support of equity
• Encourage United Methodists to advocate for the rights of all marginalized communities
• Pray that this administration will refrain from any discriminatory practices.
• Read more about diversity and justice in the UMC Book of Resolutions #3325 A Charter for Racial Justice in an Interdependent Global Community and #3326 Affirmative Action.

Some background facts provided by Brett Heinz, a political researcher and writer based in Washington, DC, who writes on economic justice, political inequality, and U.S. foreign policy at the American Friends Service Committee.