As corporations quietly scrub “DEI” from their websites and public materials, Stacey Abrams is sounding the alarm: it’s not just semantics—it’s a strategic retreat with far-reaching consequences.
Speaking at a panel hosted by the NYU School of Law on July 11, the voting rights advocate and founder of America Pride Rises warned that companies rebranding or minimizing their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in the wake of political pressure are missing the point—and potentially endangering the heart of those initiatives.
“They are not mad about the letters, they’re mad about the mission,” said Abrams. “And unless you are changing your mission, you will not ease the attack.”
A Corporate Chill in the DEI Climate
Abrams’ remarks come amid an aggressive push by the Trump administration to dismantle DEI policies across both public and private sectors. In recent executive orders, President Trump ended DEI efforts within the federal government and targeted federal contractors in the private sector. The moves have led many executives to reassess their inclusion strategies—often by rebranding them.
According to a recent joint survey conducted by Catalyst and NYU Law’s Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, 78% of corporate leaders say they’ve replaced “DEI” with softer terms like “employee engagement,” “workplace culture,” “fairness,” and “belonging.”
Another study reveals that between 2023 and 2024, the use of “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” in Fortune 100 SEC filings and earnings calls dropped by 22%, while mentions of “merit” and “belonging” rose 59%.
From Semantics to Strategy
Abrams argues that this linguistic retreat is not harmless; it represents a deeper unraveling.
“When we’re fighting over whether we add letters, or take letters away, or rearrange the letters, we’re not arguing about the mission,” she said. “It fractures us… it creates an internal set of dynamics, an internal set of debates, that allows them to distract us from where the real attack is coming from.”
Since the U.S. Supreme Court decided to strike down affirmative action in higher education two years ago, companies such as Tractor Supply have eliminated DEI programs entirely, while others like Harley Davidson and Deere & Co. have partially rolled them back.
Still Standing—and Fighting
Despite these setbacks, Abrams remains resolute.
“DEI is not dead; it’s not even on life support,” she declared. “What it is is under assiduous and aggressive attack because they think that if they can fracture our attention, they can win their fight.”
Through her nonprofit, America Pride Rises, Abrams continues to defend and expand DEI goals at a time when many institutions are retreating.
Her message to corporate America is clear: changing the language will not protect you from scrutiny, but staying true to the mission just might protect your values.
