I Know! Let's Call it PB&J!

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"Household-name companies, like Walmart and Meta, have scaled back diversity, equity and inclusion goals in recent months. These brands are part of a widespread retreat happening across corporate America, according to a New York Times analysis of annual financial filings. It has been as noticeable among tech giants as among drug makers, concert promoters and nearly every sector of the U.S. economy.

...many of them have softened or shifted previous language, by removing the word “equity,” for example, or emphasizing “belonging” rather than D.E.I." - NYT

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DEI Inquisition: “We see no signs of DEI in your documents or in your environment in general. We commend you for genuflecting to the King of these Divided States. However, we notice that you’ve established a new department called “PB&J.” Please tell us what those letters stand for and, more importantly, what that department does. — And we hope it goes without saying that dishonesty or obfuscation of any kind could land you in the hoosegow as quickly as if we were to find out, heaven and Elon forbid, that you’re still practicing DEI." [A little sinister chuckle here.]

In case this scenario doesn’t make the intended point, let me put it plainly: rebranding, rewording, or re-wardrobing DEI is futile. The idea that DEI principles and integrity can simply be camouflaged through clever (or not so clever) linguistic shifts misunderstands both the nature of authoritarian crackdowns and the fundamental purpose of the repression in the first place.

Authoritarian regimes, whether historical or modern, are not fooled by simple and shallow semantic maneuvers. Replacing "DEI" with “PB&J” or “BELONGING,” “MERIT,” or even, I'd venture, LOVE&KINDNESS, will not escape the scrutiny of those determined to eliminate it.

The whole purpose of DEI crackdowns is not just to eliminate a phrase but to erase the underlying principles and the structures that support them. Anyone hoping to sidestep the crackdown through language games is engaging in self-delusion – frantic evasion, not courageous resistance. The super-powered bigots will not stop at word choices; they will scrutinize actions, impacts, and intentions. If a program fosters fairness, uplifts marginalized voices, or acknowledges systemic disadvantage, it will still be seen as a threat, no matter the name it operates under.

When organizations quietly switch from "DEI" to something else in hopes of flying under the radar, they engage in a form of cowardice that only emboldens authoritarian forces. By playing along with the idea that DEI itself is unacceptable, they validate the suppression of core democratic values while pretending to uphold them. This cravenness doesn’t just compromise the moral integrity of an organization—it also weakens the very goals they claim to support. If you believe in the necessity of diversity, equity, and inclusion, why would you cede the use of perfectly accurate and innocuous terms to those who wish to tar, feather, and dismantle those principles?

The authoritarian impulse that seeks to stamp out expansive DEI will not be appeased by word games. If “DEI” goes under a cloak of invisibility, the next step will be to scrutinize hiring patterns, school curricula, community initiatives, and even the informal language of inclusion in workplaces. No amount of rebranding will offer protection.

Since DEI-Expansivism’s opponents have declared war on its principles and are demonstrating their intention to establish DEI-Restrictivist policies and practices, the only real and meaningful response is to defend those principles outright. Substituting new terminology is not a strategy; it’s a surrender. The real work must be to articulate, unapologetically, why diversity, equity, and inclusion are inescapable aspects of human interaction, and to expose the hypocrisy and bigotry of those who seek to shrink the scope of DEI to only those they deem worthy.

Organizations must choose: will they cower, hoping to avoid attention, or will they stand firm in the face of intimidation?

Ultimately, DEI cannot be smuggled past authoritarians through linguistic camouflage, nor should it be. The fight is not over words, but over expansive DEI (DEI for all) or restrictive DEI (DEI for us).

If you're in a position to help those who are buckling under the pressure to capitulate to lethal nonsense, please help them stand up, stand for expansive inclusivity, and stand against the billionaire bully bigots. If you're in a leadership position and contemplating a bending of the knee, please stand up straight. That's the only way that in the end you'll still be you.