Consider This from NPR Corporate America ditched DEI. What happened to the employees?
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Sep 2, 2025 Once a booming field, diversity, equity, and inclusion roles in corporate America are now facing severe downturns. The podcast explores the emotional struggles of a veteran executive navigating a year of job hunting amid a corporate retreat from DEI initiatives. It discusses the broader implications of this shift, including the impact on employee morale and workforce dynamics. Listeners are taken through a personal journey of resilience and the quest for new opportunities, all while examining the political landscape surrounding these crucial initiatives.
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Veteran DEI Executive Loses Role
- Candace Birdsong-Williams built a nearly 20-year career in DEI and rose to Global Director at a tech startup.
- She lost that job in a round of layoffs and has struggled to find another DEI role.
Career Spark From One Conversation
- Birdsong-Williams discovered DEI work after a conversation with a hearing-impaired colleague revealed hidden workplace barriers.
- That moment reshaped her career toward removing barriers for many employees.
Rapid Expansion Then Retrenchment
- After 2020 corporate hiring nearly doubled DEI roles, a political backlash and legal shifts reversed that momentum.
- Companies began removing DEI language and shrinking or renaming functions, reducing hiring for the field.