"Is DEI dead?" That's been the question on many employers' minds for much of the past year — and one that inevitably falls to HR to answer.
Like so much in today's ever-changing employment environment, the reality is simple but nuanced, former Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) chairs Victoria A. Lipnic and Jenny R. Yang told the audience at SHRM BLUEPRINT 2025 on Oct. 27 in Louisville, Ky.
Lipnic and Yang joined SHRM CHRO Jim Link, SHRM-SCP, on stage and shared several key points to guide HR professionals handling inclusion and diversity (I&D) efforts.
"Lawful [I&D] efforts are not dead," said Lipnic, who served as acting EEOC chair in President Donald Trump’s first administration. She is now a partner at Resolution Economics, a labor advisory consultancy.
Yang noted that the "lawful" part is key, because U.S. anti-discrimination law has not changed.
"There are new executive orders that are a statement of the [Trump] administration’s policy, but those do not change the fundamental civil rights protections of Title VII that prohibit discrimination based on race, gender, and other bases," Yang said.
According to Yang, who served as EEOC chair in former President Barack Obama’s second term and is now a partner at employment law firm Outten & Golden, legal efforts that courts have upheld include:
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