Americans are deeply split about DEI practices. But a new book argues that creating equitable and fair opportunities for everyone has long been a part of US culture.
“How Equality Wins” comes out Feb. 17. Written by lawyers David Glasgow and Kenji Yoshino, who lead NYU Law’s diversity and inclusion center, the book argues that equitable programs and initiatives at workplaces and schools can and should still happen in the US.
“What we call DEI is actually part of a much larger heritage … of fighting for equal rights, justice [and] inclusion.”
DAVID GLASGOW, AUTHOR
DEI is a new term that’s been highly polarizing, but equality efforts like the abolition of slavery and women’s rights to vote have existed for decades, said co-author David Glasgow.
“We have to situate this work of DEI within the broader history of equality in America,” Glasgow told Technical.ly. “What we call DEI is actually part of a much larger heritage … of fighting for equal rights, justice, inclusion, for groups that are marginalized in American society.”
About half of US voters believe DEI initiatives should end, while the other half says they benefit workplaces, according to an NBC News poll from last spring. But two-thirds of Americans believe racism against Black people is widespread, per Gallup last summer, and 42% believe Black people would have a more difficult time getting housing or a job they’re qualified for.
Although legal and federal backlash is continuing, completely abandoning equality practices invites its own challenges in possibly creating disrespectful environments, Glasgow said. Major corporations like Target and Google have scaled back efforts. Government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton pulled out of sponsoring WorldPride in DC, sparking budget concerns for the event.
“If you just rip away all of those programs, and then the environment in your workplace becomes more hostile or more toxic for members of those marginalized group backgrounds,” he said, “then you’re just traded one risk for another.”
Zooming in on equality in organizations
Against the backdrop of mixed public sentiment and ongoing legal challenges, “How Equality Wins” outlines ways equality can be framed to still foster diverse workplaces and schools — like focusing on the content of a program (bringing more diversity to the legal field) rather than limiting people who can take part (only marginalized groups).
“It still allows you to promote the values that you’re wanting to promote through the program,” Glasgow said, “but just do it in a slightly different way that is much less legally risky.”
The book is filled with examples like the lawsuit against the now-closed Fearless Fund grant program for Black women entrepreneurs, and Trump’s empty claims that a fatal DC plane crash happened partly because of diversity initiatives.
To help readers absorb the many cited studies and statistics, the authors provide bullet-pointed takeaways after each chapter, something they also did in their first book, 2023’s “Say the Right Thing.”
In this new book, there’s a purposeful focus on real-world applications, like those in work and school, Glasgow said. Compared to big policy issues like taxes, these are places people can have an actual impact on outcomes, he said. For example, a parent can speak their mind during a PTA meeting, or an HR leader can work on designing more inclusive hiring practices.
“You have an opportunity to influence the policies and practices of those organizations that you’re involved in, even if you feel like you have less opportunity to influence the broader cultural or political direction of the United States.”
Getting out of an ‘ideological war’
The idea for “How Equality Wins” began in 2023 after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions. That ended the widespread university practice of factoring in racial backgrounds when deciding who to admit, to counterbalance decades of bias and create more diverse student populations.
It was cemented when Trump took office for the second time, and the duo finished the book in six months.
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“When it became clear that destroying DEI was going to become a major focus of this administration,” Glasgow said, “even in its first month, we decided — gosh, we need to write a book about this.”
There are 77 ongoing cases related to DEI litigation, per a tracker developed by the NYU Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, which Glasgow leads. It’s been tracking 235 cases across the country involving diversity training, targeted programs for marginalized groups and workplace discrimination.
Glasgow sees the audience for this book as anyone worried about the attacks on diversity practices, but hopes critics who read this will learn something, too.
People attacking DEI see the efforts as divisive, that people are pitted against each other and are exclusionary. But this work is supposed to benefit everybody, he said, and the book is intended to address that.
“Most of us do want to create a society where we have equal opportunity,” Glasgow said. “How can we do that in a constructive way, rather than just having this polarized ideological war that we are sort of stuck in right now?”
