2025-06-07
50 分钟In 1935, a new, little-noticed term appeared in a giant law.
The National Labor Relations Act,
passed after years of clashes between protesting workers and police,
established that employers who engage in unfair labor practices,
like retaliating against organizing workers, had to take affirmative action to reinstate them.
26 years later, President John F. Kennedy would use the term in a very different context.
In an executive order, he laid out that government contractors must, quote,
take affirmative action to ensure that applicants are employed and employees are treated during employment without regard to their race,
creed, color, or national origin.
With that order,
President Kennedy sought to affirm a fundamental principle of American life, equal opportunity.
More than six decades later,
the fight over what it means to provide equal opportunity is as fraught as ever.
I'm Charlotte Howard, and this is Checks and Balance from The Economist.
Each week, we take one big theme shaping American politics and explore it in depth.
Today, the rise and fall of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Donald Trump has called DEI programs illegal, and he's banned them from the federal government.
His Justice Department has vowed to enforce civil rights laws against private sector businesses that maintain DEI programs.
What does the backlash against DEI mean for American companies, universities, and workers?
And what did DEI advocates get wrong?