The War on DEI: What’s Actually Being Banned

Across the country, politicians are unraveling programs designed to create equity in education, employment, and public life. Under vague language and misleading headlines, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts are being banned, defunded, or quietly erased.

This series was created to cut through the noise.

We break down what DEI actually is, what’s being targeted in these bans, and why it matters—not just for college campuses, but for K–12 schools, libraries, public workers, and marginalized communities nationwide.

The visual theme of this series reflects the moment we’re in: a country whose social fabric is being pulled apart by design. Each slide is a stitched-together truth—meant to show what’s fraying, and what still holds.

Whether you’re confused, concerned, or just trying to understand what’s really happening, this series is for you.

Let’s pull the thread…

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Cited Sources:

1. American Council on Education (What is DEI?)
   https://www.acenet.edu/Documents/DEI-Definitions.pdf

2. NAACP Legal Defense Fund – DEI and Civil Rights
   https://www.naacpldf.org/news/attacks-on-dei-are-attacks-on-civil-rights/

3. Education Week – State DEI Legislation Tracker
   https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/map-where-educators-face-new-restrictions-on-teaching-about-race-gender/2021/07

4. Florida SB 266 (DEI restrictions in higher education)
   https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2023/266

5. Texas SB 17 (Banning DEI offices in public universities)
   https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/88R/billtext/html/SB00017F.htm

6. ACLU – State-by-State Attacks on DEI and Civil Rights
   https://www.aclu.org/news/topic/attacks-on-diversity-equity-and-inclusion

7. PEN America – Book Bans and Educational Gag Orders
   https://pen.org/index-of-educational-gag-orders/

8. NPR – What DEI Bans Mean for Schools and Workplaces
   https://www.npr.org/2023/05/30/1178761883/dei-diversity-equity-inclusion-ban-university-florida-texas

9. ProPublica – Investigating Consequences of DEI Bans
   https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-university-diversity-policy-ban

10. Brennan Center for Justice – Chilling Effect of Vague Language in Law
    https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/gag-orders-classroom-what-are-they-and-why-are-they-problem

11. Public Rights Project – Project 2025 Threat Assessment
    https://www.publicrightsproject.org/blog/dei-bans-are-only-the-beginning

12. Lambda Legal – LGBTQ+ Rights and DEI Backlash
    https://www.lambdalegal.org/news/releases/2023/06/lambda-legal-responds-to-anti-dei-legislation

13. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) – Federal Protections
    https://www.eeoc.gov/overview

14. U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights
    https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/index.html

15. Southern Poverty Law Center – Anti-DEI Laws as Part of Broader Agenda
    https://www.splcenter.org/news/2023/07/10/legislation-against-dei-part-larger-attack-rights