The Price of Forgetting
Why the rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts is not just political—it’s historical amnesia
“Struggle is a never ending process.
Freedom is never really won,
you earn it and win it in every generation.”
- Coretta Scott King -
In America, we often speak of meritocracy as if it were a natural law rather than a fragile social construct. Yet for generations, qualified individuals have watched their credentials dissolve upon contact with systemic bias—a pattern that continues today, albeit in evolving forms.
My dad often shares stories about his first weeks in America and searching for work. His name is Peter Clarke. A few days into his job search, he got a call for an interview. He showed up early, checked in, and while sitting in the waiting area, the interviewer came out, looked at him, and walked past him several times. The interviewer then whispered to the receptionist: ‘I thought you said Peter Clarke was here.’ She pointed to my dad. The interviewer paused, then said: “Oh, I’m sorry. The position has been filled.”
My father had done everything right—he applied, was called in, showed up on time, and was prepared. And anyone who knows my father knows he was dressed for the occasion. Yet, the moment he was seen, his qualifications were erased. His name—Peter Clarke—had traveled further than his dark handsome chocolate face ever could. The assumptions made in that waiting room weren’t about merit…
And my father’s experience is far from unique. There is research that confirms what so many of us know intuitively: that bias often begins before a candidate even walks through the door. In their landmark study, “Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal?” economists Marianne Bertrand and Sendhil Mullainathan found that job applicants with names perceived as white received 50 percent more callbacks than those with Black-sounding names—even when their résumés were identical.
Another landmark study, “Racial Discrimination in New York City’s Low-Wage Labor Market,” by Devah Pager, Bruce Western, and Bart Bonikowski, found that Black applicants with clean backgrounds fared no better than white applicants just released from prison. The researchers conducted a field experiment in which matched teams of white, Black, and Latino testers applied to hundreds of entry-level jobs with equivalent résumés and presentation. The results were that employers significantly favored white applicants, even those with a recent felony conviction, over Black applicants with no criminal history. And this was in New York—a state often seen as progressive.
This is the lived contradiction of meritocracy for so many Black and Brown people. For individuals like my dad—and countless others—the playing field has never been level. The barriers to entry are hella steep.
Today, the barriers aren't always as overt, but they persist in quieter, more insidious ways. Qualified candidates are passed over because of a "gut feeling." Names are filtered out by algorithms. Culture fit—a proxy for sameness—becomes code for cultural exclusion.
Even when candidates clear these initial hurdles, more barriers… Pay inequity is hidden in "experience." Performance reviews are riddled with vague language that stunts career growth. The cumulative effect is a system that appears meritocratic while systematically disadvantaging certain groups.
A Dangerous Inflection Point
Today, I find myself deeply conflicted. As a technologist, educator, and Black woman shaped by a legacy of struggle and resilience—and as someone who has spent over a decade fighting to widen the doors of opportunity for those historically excluded—I see clearly that we are standing at a dangerous inflection point.
Across industries, we are witnessing a performative backpedaling on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) commitments—mission statements quietly revised, dedicated teams dissolved, and roles eliminated. Even trillion-dollar companies are pandering and capitulating to a political administration that thrives on fear, division, and all the -isms. An administration that frames equity as an unfair advantage and recasts inclusion as a form of discrimination.
But this regression is not simply a cultural or political shift—it’s a calculated erasure of history. As Senator Cory Booker so powerfully stated in his marathon speech on the senate floor, it’s a whitewashed Disney version of our history. This calculated erasure of historical truths signals a deliberate return to a time when inequities weren’t just tolerated, they were codified into law and upheld by institutions. These attacks on DEI are not new; they’re echoes of the past being repackaged for the present.
In just the first month of 2025, President Donald Trump signed a series of executive orders targeting DEI programs across education and the workplace. Disguised as “parental rights,” “educational freedom,” and “transparency,” these policies are designed to dismantle decades of progress under the false pretense of fairness. The executive orders don’t promote freedom—they suppress it. They erase truth, restrict access, and re-entrench inequality.
What’s even more egregious are the suppression and intimidation tactics now being deployed by the executive branch—efforts to silence those who speak up or defend the principles of DEI. Students, educators, public servants, corporations—even entire institutions—are being pressured, surveilled, extorted, and punished simply for doing the work of justice. We know what this is…!
This moment demands we keep it all the way real. We are confronting nothing less than the deliberate dismantling of our collective memory, a calculated campaign to induce historical amnesia that only serves those who profit from inequality. It is a forgetting not only of the injustices that necessitated DEI, but of the centuries-long struggle for equity that made progress possible. And for those of us who know our history, this forgetting is a threat we cannot afford to ignore.
The Danger of Forgetting
When we forget that Black and Brown communities were systematically denied homeownership, quality education, and generational wealth-building opportunities, we begin to believe that outcomes are the result of individual failures rather than structural design.
When we forget that Indigenous peoples were stripped of land and sovereignty; that for years, women were denied access to property, higher education, and fair wages; that people with disabilities were locked out—literally and figuratively—by inaccessible systems; that LGBTQ+ people, and so many others pushed to the margins, have long faced policies designed to exclude them from full participation in the so-called American Dream—we risk not just erasure, but a dangerous comfort built on historical amnesia.
When we forget why affirmative action was necessary, why Title IX had to be fought for, why the Civil Rights Act had to be signed into law—we forget not only the communities that were denied opportunity, but also the many who quietly benefited from their exclusion—across race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, class, ability, sexual orientation, and geography.
Because when we forget the full truth of how injustice was designed, we risk losing sight of why DEI exists at all—not as charity, not as optics, but as a necessary and ongoing response to systems that were never built to serve us all equally.
The Myth of Merit and the Politics of Exclusion
As I scroll through my social media feeds, I see a recycled myth gaining renewed traction: the idea that diversity, equity, and inclusion are code for “lowering the bar,” or worse, that those who benefit from DEI efforts somehow “didn’t earn it.”
This narrative is being spread not only by those emboldened by this administration’s divisive rhetoric, but more dishearteningly for me by some within our own historically excluded communities who are woefully misinformed. It’s a pity they don’t realize that this distortion upholds the very systems that excluded us in the first place—the same systems we’ve spent generations fighting to dismantle.
In my line of work, it’s difficult to believe in the promise of a meritocratic system when I’ve seen, time and again, how opportunity is shaped not just by talent, but by proximity to whiteness, wealth, and privilege.
From the Homestead Act of 1862, which gave away millions of acres to white settlers while Indigenous people were displaced and Black people were barred, to the GI Bill after World War II, where Black veterans were routinely denied the housing and education benefits their white peers accessed with ease—systems were designed to reward whiteness and suppress the rest. Redlining, school segregation, voter suppression, hiring discrimination—all of these have had generational ripple effects.
And I know some people might feel like this is ancient history—but it’s not. Many of these exclusionary policies didn’t just end with the stroke of a pen. Redlining maps weren’t officially outlawed until 1968. School segregation was ruled unconstitutional in 1954, but many districts didn’t meaningfully integrate until the 1970s—and some still haven’t. Still not convinced? What if I told you the last segregated prom in the U.S. was held in 2013. Yep, in Wilcox County, Georgia.
And so the fact that those of us who rise despite these odds are still told we “didn’t earn it”? It’s the epitome of gaslighting—a denial of our reality, our resilience, and everything we’ve had to overcome to be here.
Diversity Drives Results
A few months ago, I read an article that claimed DEI is a distraction from “real work.” And all I could think was: Here we go with this foolery…
Despite the noise, the research has always been clear: DEI isn’t just a moral imperative—it’s a strategic advantage. Organizations that prioritize equity and inclusion consistently outperform their peers.
McKinsey’s 2023 report, Diversity Matters Even More, found that companies in the top quartile for gender and ethnic diversity on executive teams are 39% more likely to financially outperform their competitors—a figure that’s grown significantly over the past decade.
But the impact doesn’t stop at the bottom line. The report also reveals a strong link between the representation of women and historically underrepresented ethnic groups on executive teams and boards and higher holistic impact scores—including environmental, social, and workforce outcomes. That means stronger performance in attracting and retaining talent, and in ethical labor practices.
Inclusive teams aren’t just the right thing—they’re the smart thing. They’re more innovative, more resilient, and better positioned for today’s diverse global marketplace. When equity is prioritized, organizations don’t just do good—they do well.
What We Must Remember—and Recommit to
I’m often asked: If DEI is so essential, why haven’t we seen more visible progress? I believe the answer lies in the arc of history. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” But that arc doesn’t bend on its own—it bends when we rise together through collective impact to shape it. True equity has never come easily or quickly. It has always required sustained, systemic effort.
Some folks wonder whether focusing on historical injustices moves us forward or keeps us stuck in the past. And it's a reasonable inquiry. But consider how we approach other complex systems: When engineers diagnose a structural failure, they don’t simply rebuild without understanding what went wrong. When doctors treat chronic conditions, they examine patient history. And in tech—especially in AI—we’ve learned that if we don’t interrogate the training data, biased systems will replicate and even amplify past harm. Equity work is no different. To build something better, we have to understand what broke. This work isn’t about blame—it’s about building with clarity, intention, and the full truth of where we’ve been.
And while the conversations around DEI are shifting, we must remember: diversity, equity, and inclusion is like planting seeds. It doesn’t promise instant results—but it demands care, consistency, and courage to grow. I welcome the idea of recalibrating DEI—not abandoning it. After all, it took decades—centuries even—to build the systems of exclusion we are trying to dismantle. And if we are to honor the true intention of this work, we must tether it not to quarterly trends or political whims, but to our collective memory.
A Call to Action
We cannot be silent. This moment calls for more than good intentions—it demands radical courage. For individuals, that means staying informed, speaking up, and challenging the policies and narratives that uphold exclusion. For leaders and institutions, it means resisting the urge to retreat when the political climate turns hostile—and instead, showing up with transparency, accountability, and the will to lead through discomfort.
I recognize that we don’t all carry the same privileges, resources, or platforms. But we each have something to give. So do what you can, where you are, with what you have. That’s how we keep the work alive. That’s how we bend the arc—together.
With Love,
Peta-Gay
Sources/References
Bertrand, Marianne and Mullainathan, Sendhil. “Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination.” Link
Pager, Devah, Western, Bruce, and Bonikowski, Bart. “Discrimination in a Low-Wage Labor Market: A Field Experiment.” Link
Brookings Institution. “The Legacy of Redlining in the 21st Century.” Link
Economic Policy Institute. “School Segregation Still Present and Growing.” Link
NAACP Legal Defense Fund. “Voting Rights.” Link
Harvard Business Review. “Why Companies Need to Make Racial Diversity a Higher Priority.” Link
Harvard Business Review. “The Legal Landscape Around DEI Is Shifting. Your Messaging Should Too.” Link
McKinsey & Company. Diversity Matters Even More (2023). Link
U.S. National Archives. “Homestead Act (1862).” Link
History.com. “How the GI Bill’s Promise Was Denied to Millions of Black WWII Veterans.” Link
Executive Order 14242 – Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents and Promoting Curriculum Transparency. View EO
Executive Order 14191 – Expanding Educational Freedom and Opportunity Through School Choice. View EO
Executive Order 14168 – Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism. View EO
Executive Order 14214 – Keeping Education Accessible and Ending COVID-Era Equity Practices. View EO
CNN. Students host their first integrated prom. YouTube, uploaded by CNN, May 6, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDDAa1If-u4
Image Credit: Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta Scott King work in his office in Atlanta in July 1962. TPLP/Archive Photos via Getty Images.