Corporate D&I

Although corporate America spends billions annually on diversity and inclusion (D&I) programs, most companies have not made many gains in hiring a diverse workforce. An influential 2019 study by Coqual, a New York think tank, found that corporate America's efforts to increase diversity are failing, in part because of a reluctance to discuss race at the workplace. Efforts to improve D&I programs took on greater urgency in the wake of George Floyd's death in May and the nationwide protests against systemic racism that followed. CEOs from Walmart, PwC and other companies announced plans to fight economic and racial injustices, including strengthening their D&I efforts. Conservatives, however, argue that D&I training can be divisive and anti-American, and the Trump administration issued an executive order restricting government contractors and federal agencies from providing diversity training that includes such terms as white privilege. Incoming President Joe Biden is expected to undo this order, and he has appointed the most diverse Cabinet in the nation's history.