There is a movement of cruelty unfolding that seeks to uphold status and privilege for some as an ideal way of life. In this belief system, there are only achievers or failures, the naturalized or alien, and the pure or perverse. It’s a harsh and critical world of subjective claims, bias, indifference, and distrust that concedes to exclusion, anger, oppression, and hate. It’s a world that a generation sought to expose and move society beyond, and a world that most people do not want to live in.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (commonly known as “DEI”) awareness initiatives are actively being undermined, pushed out, and shut down in the private and public sectors. The concepts for DEI were initially crafted and deployed in universities where great ideas have always been debated, tested, and turned into world-changing practices. The intended purpose of DEI has always been to empathetically reveal the beliefs and behaviors of a culture, system, or community that prevent the belonging, contribution, and fair treatment of others. 

Movements like Black Lives Matter have driven a time of social transformation and progress. As a result, individuals and institutions have sought in good faith to grow their understanding, correct complicity, and make healthy commitments to building a better and more peaceful world for themselves and each other. However, change is rarely easy and often resisted by those protected by the status quo. 

Monday’s presidential inauguration of Donald Trump for a second term was the beginning of an incoming authoritarian regime that seeks to promote the values of diversity, fairness, and belonging on the terms of their populist ideas. Committed to insider agendas, maximizing personal gain, and disregarding the needs and beliefs of outsiders, today’s emerging movement undermines what makes us better – each other. It’s not an unexpected turn of events. Times of perceived anxiety and societal change often bring out the least desirable in us, even when it does violence to our best interests. 

A mythical golden age cannot be promised or assured by any person or movement. The world is far too complex, interdependent, and diversified for any single party or leader to dictate the terms of tomorrow. Their only recourse is to invent a situation that exerts control over all conceivable conditions – the definition of a totalitarian state. 

The future, alternatively, demands we choose grounded hope instead of overreaching promises, false narratives, and power. The solution to our anxieties, fears, and frustrations is a tomorrow built on values that practice openness, compassion, inclusive contribution, and fair outcomes for everyone. The future cannot be foretold or dictated – it must be cultivated. The conditions for a thriving and hopeful future for everyone are built on the foundation of universal values that esteem the best of humanity and create a sustainable future for everyone.