Diversity, equity and inclusion. DEI.
I want to begin this post by reclaiming these words as good, whole and holy. You and I embody diversity, equity and inclusion.
As Stacey Abrams recently said in her podcast, DEI is not something new. It has been woven into the American fabric for centuries, expanding the rights and freedoms of more and more people. Those of us who have been denied rights to vote, marry, work, care for our own bodies, shop, own homes, adopt children, hold credit cards in our names — we embody diversity, equity and inclusion. Our ancestors paved a way out of no way so that we might walk with dignity and freedom.
Ginny Brown Daniel
And yet, these past weeks, DEI has been vilified, removed, scapegoated and blamed for devastation. It is exactly what Project 2025 told us they were going to do.
The temptation is to curl up and shrink back as we watch our uniqueness erased from websites, policies and government records at an alarming rate.
Nope. Not gonna do it.
Because this isn’t just about words. And really, it’s not just about us. It’s about the white supremacy that fuels this backlash against progress. Today it’s DEI, tomorrow it’s another word, another history, another identity under attack.
So, today I reclaim these words: Diversity, equity and inclusion. I celebrate their sacredness. Because they reflect the image of God in each of us.
“Diversity, equity and inclusion are sacred because they are reflections of God’s very essence.”
Imago Dei
In theological terms, we call this Imago Dei, the belief we are created in the image of God. And here’s something I love: The Latin word for God, Dei, is spelled DEI. That might just be a coincidence, but I’ll take it as a sign of something deeper — that diversity, equity and inclusion are sacred because they are reflections of God’s very essence.
Now, let me be clear: I am not deifying corporate DEI initiatives. Policies and strategies always can be refined. But we don’t have the luxury of those conversations when, in a single week, DEI policies, federal holidays and even pronouns are erased from public institutions. We are in survival mode. And in survival, we must anchor ourselves in our faith.
No one can erase you
Hear me say this: No amount of legislation, mean tweets or deleted data can erase you. No executive order can strip the divine imprint from your being. No removal of a federal holiday can undo the legacy of those who fought for our freedoms. If anything, these attacks only fuel our resolve to celebrate louder, bolder and with greater joy.
Black History Month, Pride, Women’s History Month, Disability Pride Month, Juneteenth, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Hispanic Heritage Month — these are embodiments of the sacredness of DEI. And they cannot be erased.
We are still here. We always will be here. Because God formed us to be here.
What will you do with the sacredness of DEI?
It’s not enough to affirm this truth; we must act on it. Our ancestors have shown us how to embody DEI even in the face of oppression.
Recently, I visited Austin’s Bullock Museum to see an exhibit on the history of the Rosenwald Schools, nearly 5,000 schools built between 1915 and 1932 to educate Black children in the segregated South. These schools were the vision of Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish immigrant and CEO of Sears Roebuck. Together, they built an education system that uplifted thousands, including Maya Angelou, Medgar Evers, Pauli Murray, John Lewis and Gene Robinson.
Hopewell School, one of five Rosenwald schools in Bastrop County, Texas, was built on land donated by Martin McDonald, a formerly enslaved man. Through racial violence and segregation, Black families and communities ensured their children received the education they were denied elsewhere. They lived out the sacredness of DEI by building what white supremacy tried to destroy.
If God could inspire a formerly enslaved man and a poor Jewish immigrant to create schools that changed history, God will inspire us to cultivate DEI in our time.
So, I ask again: What will you do with the sacredness of your diversity, equity and inclusion?
God is not through with us yet. Let’s claim it. Let’s name it. And let’s live it together.
Ginny Brown Daniel is an ordained minister who is a keynote speaker and writes on faith and politics in Texas. Visit her website at www.ginnybd.com.
Related articles:
Super Bowl halftime DEI show: The Greatest Protest on Turf | Opinion by Edmond Davis
In defense of DEI: 10 benefits of DEI in higher education | Opinion by Susan Shaw
Black History Month in Trump’s America | Opinion by Robert P. Jones