Inclusion Under Fire: Recent policies that stigmatize diversity reverse decades of social progress

A passenger jet that took off from Wichita collided with a military helicopter and crashed into the Potomac River on Jan. 30, killing 67 people in the deadliest U.S. air crash in 20 years. 

Some of the victims were competitive figure skaters. Some were duck hunting buddies on a guys’ getaway. All were treasured by friends, family and loved ones.

President Trump blamed the tragedy on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion hiring. 

It seems like every day in this new era of American politics I read something new about the “war against inclusivity” — from government officials with vague connections to DEI being placed on administrative leave to thousands of government web pages being taken down for spreading “gender ideology.”

Voters shouldn’t support those who actively seek to reinstall discrimination in our government under the guise of equality. As previously controversial stances against diversity become normalized, it’s important to remember that social justice can never be taken for granted.

The argument for recent inclusivity cutbacks is that cutting them promotes equality — that by striking down efforts to make our work and school communities more diverse, we are paving the way for an America where merit is the sole factor to success. But is it really a fight for equality, or a crusade to turn back the clock to a period of prevalent discrimination?

Transgender soldiers are being forced out of the military. Haitian immigrants are baselessly accused of eating cats and dogs at a presidential debate. A plane lethally collides into a helicopter and plunges into the Potomac and the immediate assumption is that a diversity hire in the Federal Aviation Administration caused the crash.

It’s clear from the 2024 elections that the majority of Americans support this regression of social values. But recently, I find myself wondering how we have reached the point where the voting majority is once again unconcerned with the issue of discrimination. Could it be that, in modern America, we no longer need to fight for equality?

Of course not.

I’ve spent 11 years in SMSD, and I’ve never felt like our community was color-blind — not when I was in second grade and classmates wagged the “Chinese middle finger” in my face, not when I was in seventh grade and peers hurled insults such as “dog eater” and “ch*nk” at me and received laughs. Certainly not here in high school, where it feels like the ongoing phone ban is more incendiary than the racial assault last year in the hallways.

I’ve heard transgender classmates ridiculed behind their backs and seen black students stereotyped and caricatured by their own friends. Even in our socially liberal community, our serious lack of diversity of cultures and experiences leads to prevalent stereotyping and microaggressions. 

Discrimination is still an American problem. Codifying it back into legislation is not the solution. 

As a 16-year-old second-generation Chinese immigrant, this is the first time in my life that I’ve worried about whether the country I was born in had a place for me. Because even though I’ve never been exposed to a large Asian American community, I’ve internalized the message that America is a country of immigrants that was built off the strength of our differences.

But America is altering this message. Externally, international allies face tariffs from an increasingly nationalistic U.S. Internally, birthright citizens fear deportation and LGBTQ+ citizens worry their rights will be stripped away. 

Call me naive, but I still believe that we all stand to benefit from an America with more than one narrative, where everybody has the opportunity to achieve the “American Dream” regardless of their ethnicity, gender or identity. If you still care about this vision, consider the social values the candidates hold on your next ballot — and whether they are taking us forward or backward.