Is Your Company ‘Rainbow Hushing’?

Whatever you do, just don’t call it DEI.

In a stunning race to the bottom, companies are tripping over themselves to rewrite their once-ironclad devotion to diversity, equity and inclusion ― even when they still support those principles.

But calling it Diversity Equity and Inclusion? Fuhgeddaboudit.

“We’ve left DEI hanging out there by itself, instead of integrating it across the organization,” said Kim Clark, Ragan Consulting Group’s expert on inclusive communications. The Trump administration, she said, “has made DEI a villain, a bogeyman, the dragon that needs to be slayed.”

The attacks have quickly reached the level of absurdity. The Associated Press reports that the Pentagon, in a frenzy to rid itself of all references to DEI, eliminated photos and other documents, including references to ― wait for it ― the Enola Gay, the World War II bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. The plane was named after the pilot’s mother, Enola Gay Tibbets.

Seriously?

Apparently, the word “gay” is a key word identified by the Trump administration to be wiped clean from all government documents and archives. That included references to military people and others whose last names happen to be Gay.

Can you say military intelligence? Thank God Marvin Gaye had an “e” on the end of his name. Purging “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” would just be a bridge too far.

Is DEI really dead, or has it just gone into hiding? One communicator who works for a major global corporation told me they just weren’t allowed to use the word “diversity” anymore, but inclusion might be OK.  

The New York Times published a list of hundreds of words the Trump administration told government agencies to avoid or limit, lest they suggest “woke” initiatives.

Round up the children and get them off the streets before someone dares to mention the word “bias” or even scarier, “female.”

Companies have been scrambling to eliminate their DEI programs or recast them using different words.

In mid-February, Goldman Sachs eliminated its diversity goals for women and minorities, Fortune reported.

Target announced it was ending its three-year DEI goals and will no longer report its numbers to outside organizations, such as the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index.

“As a retailer that serves millions of consumers every day, we understand the importance of staying in step with the evolving external landscape, now and in the future ― all in service of driving Target’s growth and winning together,” Kiera Fernandez, the company’s chief community impact and equity officer, wrote in a memo to employees.

Disney ditched its Reimagine Tomorrow initiative, which the company used to highlight stories about underrepresented groups.

Crain’s Chicago Business reported that Archer Daniels Midland last year made multiple DEI references in its annual report, starting with: “The company is strongly committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.”

This year, it wrote: “The company believes that cultivating an inclusive culture of care and continuous learning for our colleagues is a critical priority.”

“The speed at which everyone is abandoning this work and fleeing this space is pretty amazing,” Seth Welty, a former investment bank diversity recruiter, told the Times.

Other companies, notably Costco Wholesale and Delta Airlines, have resisted pressure to eliminate their DEI efforts. Costco’s board rejected a call from shareholders to drop its DEI policies. “Our efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion follow our code of ethics,” the board announced in a statement.

Delta reaffirmed its support for its DEI policies. “We are steadfast in our commitments because we think that they are actually critical to our business,” said Peter Carter, Delta’s chief external affairs officer.

In a quick check with some of our customers, most said they haven’t changed anything ― at least not yet ― and remain committed to DEI. But a half dozen communicators told us that while they plan to keep their programs, they’re looking to call them something else. This is what the lawyers call “rainbow hushing” ― quietly dropping or rebranding their DEI programs.

Name changes are happening at an incredible rate, Forbes reported. Victoria’s Secret renamed its “diversity, equity and inclusion” team as “inclusion and belonging.” Bank of America replaced the word “diversity” with “talent” and “opportunity” in its annual report.

Cindy Sandefur, communications manager for the Electrical Training Alliance, said DEI is helping to fill critical industry needs, including safety and recruitment. Many baby-boomer electricians, most of them white men, are retiring. Electrical workers are in demand, which means recruiting women, veterans and people of color who have been traditionally underrepresented in the industry. 

“The need for DEI is not going away,” Sandefur said. “It’s about making the workplace safer and more welcoming.”

The association will change the name if they have to, she added. “But we’re not going to stop being good to each other and being kind.”

Despite the current dismal state of affairs, Jim Ylisela, co-founder of Ragan Consulting Group, is optimistic that leaders who publicly dropped diversity will come to their senses.

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