By Anijah Franklin
Howard University News Service
President Trump’s DEI executive order threatens to reduce the effectiveness of public and private entities, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which has supported legions of people for more than half a century.
The executive order, titled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, revokes several measures that have strengthened EEOC over the years.
While President Trump’s order frames the shift as a return to a merit-based system, Michael K. Fauntroy, Ph.D., associate professor and founding director of the race, politics and policy center at George Mason University, questions that assumption.
“This idea that you’re going to return to a merit-based system assumes that there was merit in the system, to begin with, which it wasn’t,” Fauntroy said.

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which created EEOC under Title VII of the landmark act. It protects individuals from discrimination based on race, color or national origin under federally assisted programs including agencies, departments, universities and corporations.
Trump has revoked Executive Order 11246, which Johnson signed the following year in 1965. The order specified discrimination would be prohibited for any federal contractors and included protections for “race, creed, color or national origin.”
To improve Title VII’s effectiveness, Congress amended Title VII and signed the Equal Employment Act of 1972. It gave the EEOC litigation authority and subjected educational institutions and the federal government to Title VII.
Trump also targeted executive order 13672 under President Barack Obama on sexual orientation and gender identity in 2014.

Trump’s order, one of the many from his first week, bans race and sex-based preferences and revokes diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in federal and private sectors that “can violate the civil-rights laws of this nation.”
On Jan. 20, he released an order called Reforming the Federal Hiring Process and Restoring Merit to Government Service. It also bans race and sex-based considerations, with a focus on reforming federal hiring to prioritize merit and efficiency, capping the hiring process to under 80 days.
The president’s perception of DEI isn’t unique to him. According to the Pew Research Center, public perception of DEI has shifted negatively in recent years.
While more Americans say DEI benefits Black, Hispanic and Asian men and women, and white women, more Americans also now say white men are disproportionately harmed and more Republican-leaning workers view it to be harmful.
“About four in 10 Republican and Republican-leaning workers (42%) now say focusing on DEI is a bad thing, up from 30% last year,” the study reads.
For some, the rollback of DEI programs raised concerns about workplace equity and representation. Daniella Powell, a senior director of human resources and business strategist at H2H Enrollments, warns that the rollback not only leaves organizations without a framework or guard rails but will also result in “losing momentum when it comes to fostering collaboration and mutual respect.”
Powell challenges critics of DEI policies who mischaracterize them as a pipeline for underqualified “DEI hires,” but should instead see them as a chance for diverse experiences, skill sets, educational backgrounds and different walks of life that allow for innovation and talent.
Both Fauntroy and Powell made points about legislation not being the be-all and end-all. The political science professor said generally legislation is only as good as its enforcement.
“Remember, there is a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to vote and the equal protection of the laws in the 14th amendment, but if that’s not enforced, then it doesn’t matter,” Fauntroy said.
From Powell’s experience in human resources for over a decade, she agrees that the law is only a piece of the puzzle.
“I’ve also seen firsthand that laws alone don’t create inclusive environments,” Powell said.
“It’s really about leadership and their intention there and prioritizing DEI, because the law there is sort of like the framework. It’s the foundation, but it’s not the solution.”
Powell added that without a diverse range of perspectives in hiring and leadership, organizations risk stagnation. She points to age diversity as an example — “an organization that lacks diversity in age and has a lot of people within their organization that are older.”
“Where is the succession planning in that who takes over the company in 10, 15 years if all of your organization is over the age of 50 and looking at retirement just around the corner?” she asked. “When you counteract that and start to use DEI to assess retain and acquire talent outside of the norm, it allows you to fill in that gap.”
As culturally and nationally celebrated legislation faces reversal, a recently surfaced memo from the Defense Intelligence Agency signals a bigger shift. Independent investigative journalist Ken Klippenstein posted about the agency’s pausing of all diverse events or activities “effective immediately until further notice.”
Intelligence officials are starting to leak to me now too. Here’s a memo Defense Intelligence Agency personnel received instructing them to suspend observances including:
– Holocaust Remembrance Day
– MLK Day
– Juneteenth pic.twitter.com/wQvGFxVfMD— Ken Klippenstein (@kenklippenstein) January 29, 2025
This would include cultural awareness activities for Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Holocaust Day/Days of Remembrance and LGBTQIA+ Pride Month.
What does this shift mean for the broader enforcement of anti-discrimination laws and the EEOC’s power to uphold workplace protections?
Anijah Franklin covers the White House for HUNewsService.com.