1st Edition
Reclaiming DEI in Higher Education Truth Telling as Resistance
Part I: How Did We Get Here?
Chapter One
Anti-DEI Hysteria, White Rage, Fragility, Lies, George Floyd…and Obama
Karen L. Dace
Chapter Two
From Pet to Threat: Resistance and Backlash Against Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) Professionals in the MAGA Era
John-Paul Chaisson-Cardenas
Part II: The Fallout
Chapter Three
DEI-Discarded: A Roadmap for Reclamation and Resilience
Anonymous
Chapter Four
No One Heard My Screams
Faye Z. Belgrave
Chapter Five
From Erasure to Empowerment
Rashida R. Willard
Chapter Six
Physically Ill and Unsafe
Sandra Miles
Chapter Seven
“Sooo You Got Security, Huh?” Backlash of the Haunted Hustle of White Supremacy
Anonymous
Chapter Eight
Becoming a Phoenix and Rising from the Ashes of Diversity and Dissolution
Menah Pratt
Chapter Nine
Leading From the Middle: The Era of Broken Promises and the Dismantling of
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in Higher Education
Truth N. Eloquence
Chapter Ten
In Community, Our Work
Through Community, Our Contribution
Anonymous
Chapter Eleven
F*#k You Very Much: Administrative Silence, Abandonment and Erasure
Karen L. Dace
Part III: Making Sense, Healing and Moving Forward
Chapter Twelve
Shallow Roots, Incredible Fruit: The Toll and Hope From Uneven Progress
Ame Lambert
Chapter Thirteen
Maintaining Health, Peace and Sanity in the Midst of Abandonment
Faye Z. Belgrave, Karen L. Dace, Ame Lambert, Sandra Miles, Menah Pratt,
Rashida R. Willard, Anonymous Authors of Chapters Two and Six
Chapter Fourteen
Where to From Here? Moving Forward with Hope
Marquita T. Chamblee and Pam Chao
Biography
Karen L. Dace has 35 years of experience as a faculty member and administrator in higher education, with 26 of those years leading diversity efforts on three college campuses. She is Professor Emerita of both Communication Studies and Africana Studies at Indiana University Indiana, USA.
“The silence of academic leaders in the face of anti-DEI hysteria is a betrayal of higher education's core mission to pursue truth, protect academic freedom, and foster social mobility by removing systemic barriers. The courageous contributors to this volume reveal the corrosive impacts of anti-DEI initiatives and provide a roadmap to resist. Academic leaders need to read this book and develop a national strategy to promote equity and access, uphold democratic values, and challenge political interference in higher education.”
Carmen G. Gonzalez, Morris I. Leibman Professor of Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Co-editor of Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia
“Reclaiming DEI in Higher Education speaks truth to power through the untold stories of higher education DEI professionals who, in 2025, were dismissed and marginalized and whose work was scuttled and erased. Reclaiming provides a vivid, heart-wrenching picture of the inept, cowardly, and sometimes cruel behavior of too many universities in the face of anti-DEI hysteria – often institutions that had previously loudly trumpeted their DEI commitment. And Reclaiming also inspires, with stories of DEI leaders who didn’t go quietly, who refused to be silenced, and who continue to find ways to resist. The authors offer advice for higher education administrators who are struggling to respond wisely and humanely to the national DEI pushback, and they provide guidance and support, and tempered hope, for those of us who continue to strive for an equitable, inclusive and just world. A powerful, much-needed text at a critical time in this nation!”
Kumea Shorter-Gooden, Former Chief Diversity Officer, University of Maryland, College Park, Co-author of Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America
“The attempted dissolution of DEI initiatives and progress is treading on freedom of speech, academic freedom, and the separation of church and state. And in their eagerness to not appear to favor people of color, white people are being further advantaged in hiring and promotion decisions. As administrators and legislators infringe on core values, we are left in communistic environments wherein faculty, students, and staff are asked to spy on one another. The narratives in this timely collection provide critical thought and survival strategies that can guide us through the resulting dark states of anxiety and fear.”
Yolanda Flores Niemann, Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, Co-editor of Presumed Incompetent: The Intersections of Race and Class for Women in Academia
“When institutions were faced with legal or legislative challenges they could not avoid, they had choices how to react. This volume represents a powerful demonstration of what has occurred when the work of diversity, equity and inclusion becomes politicized and when it has not been deeply understood to be central to institutional mission and excellence. The damage to the very individuals who have taken leadership for decades to facilitate needed change and the offices that have served so many, is infuriating to read and are not just isolated examples. This was not the only option, however. There were other institutions who understood the importance of the work even if changes in structure and job descriptions had to take place. They also demonstrated their commitment to people and their value to the community under difficult circumstances.
To those institutions that have not honored the people or understood the work, as powerfully and painfully described in this volume, I fear, it will take a long time, and wise leadership to rebuild the trust necessary to move forward in an increasingly diverse society.”
Daryl G. Smith, Senior Research Fellow and Professor Emerita of Education and Psychology, School of Educational Studies, Claremont Graduate University, Author of Diversity’s Promise for Higher Education: Making it Work, Fourth Edition
