Source: News & Observer
Labor Commissioner Luke Farley and State Auditor Dave Boliek, both of whom are newly elected Republicans, announced that they had directed their North Carolina agencies to remove all internal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies.
The moves follow President Trump’s executive order to eliminate DEI policies from the federal government. The Trump administration has called DEI a “scourge,” ordering all departments and agencies to place employees in DEI roles on leave and submit written plans by the end of the month for dismissing all of those employees.
Luke Farley will be ending the use of DEI metrics to evaluate the performance of employees at the NC Department of Labor. Boliek, the state auditor, said that he had begun the process of removing DEI from all office policies, including any training and performance requirements. “DEI is divisive and brings little-to-no return on investment of time and resources,” Boliek said.
Companies and colleges across the country are following suit. Some of the nation’s largest employers, including Walmart, Amazon, and McDonald’s, have announced the elimination of DEI initiatives. The UNC System Board of Governors also repealed DEI requirements that required each of the system’s 17 campuses to adopt diversity-related goals. The move followed a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that declared affirmative action in admissions to be unconstitutional– a decision that has resulted in lower diversity in many schools across the country.
DEI initiatives have been around for decades, beginning during the Civil Rights Movement. Beyond DEI’s inherent benefits of promoting equal opportunity, stronger empathy, and more meaningful collaboration in the workplace, companies that prioritize DEI often see higher profits and greater employee retention.
