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As President Donald Trump begins his second term, a storm of incoming executive orders has raised concerns and confusion around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives in school.

Trump signed a series of executive orders, starting on Jan. 20 on his inauguration day, dismantling all DEI programs at the federal level. This stance is part of a conservative backlash against race-based affirmative action, originating from the SCOTUS case Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. The case outlawed the use of affirmative action in college admissions in violation of the 14th Amendment.

DEI began with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, implemented by former President John. F Kennedy, outlawing employment discrimination and segregation based on race, religion, sex, color and nationality to grant more job opportunities to racial minorities.

In the past couple of years, DEI implementation in the workplace became more normalized following George Floyd’s murder and the 2020 Black Lives Matter movement. LinkedIn reported that hiring for chief diversity and inclusion officers saw a 168.9% increase between 2019 and 2022.

In his Jan. 20 executive order titled “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Referencing,” Trump designated DEI as “forced illegal and immoral discrimination programs” and ordered the removal of all DEI positions in the federal government. One day later, he issued another executive order revoking policies to increase diversity in federal employment, revoking several previous executive orders, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Order of 1965 signed by former President Lyndon B. Johnson.

As of Jan. 27, all DEI initiatives were removed from the White House website. Companies like Amazon, Walmart and McDonald’s also publicly reduced DEI efforts days before the inauguration.

Candi Castleberry Singleton, Vice President of Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Amazon, regarded their DEI program as outdated and pledged to foster a “truly more inclusive culture” and work on an outcome-based solution. On the other hand, brands like Costco and e.l.f. have publicly reaffirmed their commitment to DEI efforts.

Students are concerned about the implications of the removal of DEI.

Sophomore Aneesa Herzi is nervous about its implication of normalizing racism and other microaggressions in everyday life.

“There’s going to be less training on how to stop microaggressions, or like actual racism, and it’s going to become more normalized,” she said.

Since DEI’s recent implementation, many argue it has helped unit various races. However, DEI in applications for jobs or schools means considering race. Its value of race makes it difficult to prioritize a meritocracy—a selection based on ability.

Its long-standing controversy was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2023. DEI’s persistence in jobs and private schools leads people to believe that DEI divides people by race more than it creates a cohesive environment. DEI has faced large amounts of criticism, being called “fundamentally anti-American” by the Claremont Institute president Ryan Williams.

Junior Echo Dayton believes that the abolition of DEI on a federal level will cause increased inequality and make inclusion policy optional.

“People are going to choose not to do it, and then that still continues to perpetuate a cycle where people don’t all have the same opportunities,” Dayton said.

In spring 2022, SPA launched its Strategic Action Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging based on the results of a climate survey administered to the community and a series of listening sessions. Initiatives include eliminating microaggressions, supporting BIPOC faculty and staff and curriculum modifications. The community has met these efforts with positive feedback.

Requests for interview sent to the Office of Intercultural Life were not answered.

Ninth-grader Kieran Ahearne-Kroll believes that DEI at school can provide space for conversations where people feel represented.

“There’s just a lot of spaces for people to express themselves however they want,” Ahearne-Kroll said.

Trump’s power regarding the elimination of DEI expires after the federal level, but companies and schools may or may not opt to follow his lead and reduce efforts.

The US administration did not respond to a request for comment on how, if at all, they will alter school DEI initiatives.

For some, future uncertainty only leaves room for hope that equity will persist.