Rebranding of DEI initiatives is a reactive response to external pressures

The pushback against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs gained momentum in the first half of 2025. And while some institutions are eliminating DEI initiatives, others are rebranding them. “The University of Alberta, for instance no longer has a vice-provost of equity, diversity and inclusion,” writes McGill Desautels lecturer Simon Blanchette in The Conversation. “Instead, it now has an office for ‘access, community and belonging.’” But these rebranding efforts are mostly about appeasement and lack genuine community engagement. “They are reactive moves that respond to external pressures,” Blanchette says, “rather than to the needs and demands of the communities most affected.”