I Am Black. DEI Is The New N-Word

Since conservatives gained the upper hand in the culture war following Donald Trump’s victory, racists have adopted a new buzzword to disguise their views.

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When I was growing up in Fanta Citron, a neighborhood in Mvog Ada, a well-known slum in Yaoundé, Cameroon, adults had distinct strategies for avoiding the truth, especially around children. When we asked questions, they often used euphemisms or absurd expressions to obscure the truth or soften harsh realities. For instance, my mother and her siblings had a roundabout way of describing certain jobs or professions held by some of their cousins.

— “Sister, she’s really not getting better,” I overheard my mother say to Auntie Blandine after a visit from Auntie Crescence, one of their cousins who lived in a wealthy neighborhood on the other side of Yaoundé. “This is going to end badly.”

Auntie Blandine clapped her hands and then joined them, a gesture that showed she agreed with my mother.

— “Sister, it’s getting worse,” replied Auntie Blandine. “I heard that the street life has become very difficult. She’s going through a hard time. People say she has lowered her prices.”

When they noticed me, they changed the subject, but I remained curious.

-”What is Auntie Crescence’s job?” I asked them.

My mother and Auntie Blandine exchanged glances.

— “Why do you want to know?” my mother asked.

— “She’s always well dressed, and her clothes are expensive,” I replied.

My words were met with silence. Surprised, my mother shifted uncomfortably on her bench.

— “She’s managing,” Auntie Blandine called out, and told me to go and get her a drop of water from the local spring, which was more than ten minutes’ walk from our home.

Her answer was just vague enough to stir my curiosity while also quelling it, keeping me from asking more questions or discovering what Auntie Crescence actually did.

Then there was Cousin Raoul, who was rarely around. He must have been in his twenties when I was eleven. Whenever his name came up at home, it was linked to something negative, judging by the expressions on the adults’ faces. They whispered. My uncles would just say, “It’s Raoul,” as if that alone explained everything.

— “What does Raoul do?” I remember asking my mother once, after they had just received some news about this cousin whom many of them felt was no longer truly part of the family.

— “He’s managing,” my mother replied. “He’s managing” like Auntie Crescence.

As I would learn years later, this phrase masked darker, more shameful truths in my family: Auntie Crescence was a prostitute, and Cousin Raoul was a thug, a criminal well-known to the police. When he disappeared for long periods, it was because he was in prison. “He or she manages” was the expression my maternal family used to avoid facing harsh realities — a veil covering parts of themselves they preferred not to see. It concealed an ugliness they despised, aspects that might cause others to judge them differently. It was a vague catch-all phrase that dulled curiosity and deflected criticism or rejection.

It’s this catch-all expression from my childhood that I have been thinking in recent weeks, as three letters have come to dominate public discourse across all platforms. These letters are blamed for everything wrong in America — and even beyond. The letters are DEI, which stands for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Since Donald Trump’s victory over Democrat Kamala Harris in the November 5th presidential election, DEI has become the new buzzword, replacing all others, including “woke.” It now symbolizes the final chapter in the culture war. Without question, DEI has surpassed “tariffs” as the frontrunner for the 2025 Word of the Year.

To the 47th President of the United States, the alt-right, and mainstream conservatives, DEI is the enemy — a dangerous one that must be eliminated swiftly because they believe it is destroying America.

— “We will terminate every Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program across the entire federal government,” Trump, who signed an executive order on January 20 “restoring merit-based hiring and promotions across the federal government,” has said.

He also warned that companies and universities could face investigations if they failed to eliminate their inclusion-related programs.

Smear campaigns targeting inclusive businesses have pressured many companies to abandon their DEI initiatives.

Since Trump’s inauguration on January 20, he and the conservative right have launched aggressive attacks on DEI policies, claiming they’ve undermined America’s founding principles. Nearly every misfortune is blamed on DEI. In late January, Trump quickly pointed the finger at DEI after a midair collision near Ronald Reagan Airport in Washington, D.C., involving a military helicopter and an American Airlines commercial jet. The crash killed 67 people. So far, there’s been no indication that either pilot was hired due to minority status.

According to the president and his supporters, minorities — whether sexual, ethnic, or gender — owe their social and economic advancement to discriminatory policies that, they argue, have eroded meritocracy and excellence. They claim DEI programs have led to reverse discrimination against White men, straight men, or simply the most qualified. As a result, they’ve coined the term “DEI hire” for any woman or non-White man in a position of power. Their criticism, however, is mostly directed at Black people, Latinos, and transgender individuals, who, they argue, don’t deserve in positions of power.

This outcry against DEI serves as red meat for all factions of the right. It masks internal divisions and unites mainstream conservatives with fringe groups, including masculinity influencers and groypers — a far-right faction that is nationalist, anti-feminist, anti-LGBTQ+, and ultra-conservative.

Originally, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies emerged in the wake of George Floyd’s 2020 murder, with the goal of leveling the playing field for minorities. These programs were designed to provide access, networks, and a fair shot — just enough to land an interview. After that, candidates had to prove themselves. The aim was to combat discrimination based on race, sexual orientation, religion, or gender identity.

But the data show that these initiatives have ultimately benefited White women more than other minority groups. According to a Forbes report, White women now hold nearly 19% of all C-suite positions, while women of color hold just 4%. Overall, women’s representation at every level of corporate management has grown over the past decade, as noted in a 2024 report by consulting firm McKinsey.

DEI has become a fixture in the vocabulary of both mainstream conservatives and fringe extremists. Not only is it their rallying cry — especially as they claim victory in the culture war — but it has also become the new N-word. It’s the latest cloak for racism, the flag that racists now wrap themselves in to publicly express their prejudices, clichés, and stereotypes. There’s no longer any need to hesitate or self-censor before spouting racist vitriol. While the N-word was rare in public discourse, DEI now slips into conversations unnoticed. Just say “DEI.”

When they’re not calling you a “DEI hire” or a “DEI employee,” they just hurl “DEI” like an insult.

Just like the “he or she manages” of my childhood, DEI helps conceal the ugliness of what the alt-right, white supremacists, and conservatives more broadly think about people of color — especially Black folks. It gives them cover. Where the N-word might still raise eyebrows, DEI slides by unnoticed. It’s watered down. On the surface, it seems race-neutral — just an appeal to merit or excellence, they say.

But the undertone hasn’t gone unnoticed by minorities — especially Black people. There’s no doubt in our minds that beneath the DEI discourse lies latent, veiled racism. On recent travels across the country, I spoke with many Black people — Democrats and MAGA supporters alike. Some had never even heard of DEI until the right turned it into a Trojan horse after “woke” failed to fully take root. When they learned that DEI policies had mostly benefited White women, many were surprised. Social media had convinced them these initiatives were just a handout for unqualified Black people. For them, there’s no doubt now: this obsession with “merit” is just the new form of racism.

— “A lot of people were using it as a term to really be undercover racists,” Dr. Carlos Richardson, 47, a Black man who teaches US history and DC history told me in mid-April. “No, just say it. We know what you’re really trying to say — you’re trying to say Black people.”

Most Black folks I’ve spoken with since the attacks on DEI programs agree with Dr. Richardson. Many feel compelled to defend DEI — not because it’s perfect, but because they’re convinced that the backlash is rooted in racism. To them, DEI has simply become code — a euphemism for racism. They fear that if they don’t push back, the progress made since the civil rights movement will be undone, sending us back decades.

— “The thinking is that Black people only have what they have because of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion,” Dr. Richardson said.

Yes, racism has been unleashed. It now wears the mask of DEI, which has become a full-fledged insult. It’s calculated. But it’s unmistakable. To deny that is to refuse to face reality.