Thompson: EMU is a bright light in the anti-DEI climate in Michigan

While prominent universities and leading law firms around the nation are fretting over the anti-DEI climate that President Donald Trump’s administration has quickly ushered in, not everyone is buying into the propaganda that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is bad for education and business. 

In Michigan, there is at least one bright light that refuses to go dark in the campaign against DEI.

Eastern Michigan University, which for years has been known to be a working class educational institution in the city of Ypsilanti, recently announced it had no plans to shut down its DEI office and doesn’t anticipate significant changes, despite the attack on DEI by the Trump administration. 

EMU does not have an endowment in the billions of dollars like other major universities. But its willingness to show courage during a period that is challenging educational leaders to have some moral fortitude is commendable.

It’s remarkable to see other institutions with so many resources that are unwilling to push back against the Trump administration. Instead, they are simply rolling over without putting up a fight. History won’t be kind to these institutions and their leaders, who are choosing to surrender instead of drawling the battle lines.

As the Italian poet Dante Alighieri so eloquently reminded us, “the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who during a time of moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.” 

This is not a time to be neutral and watch the attacks on the principle of inclusion. This is a moment of reckoning that is truly beckoning leaders in this era to take a very powerful stance to support inclusion. 

And EMU is doing just that by signaling that DEI isn’t going away on its campus. The credit belongs to its president James Smith, who realizes the institution’s future is bigger than any political moment. The Trump administration will not be in power for ever. But EMU is expected to last for another century teaching the next generation of leaders. 

Three years ago, I met with President Smith in Ypsilanti to hear what the university is doing and its commitment to Detroit. He was resolute then and is determined now. When the U.S. Supreme Court issued its adverse ruling on affirmative action, Smith did not duck for cover. He issued a very strong statement in defense of a program that came out of the Civil Rights Movement. 

“Affirmative Action is one of a number of practices across the country that has helped to diversify campuses and offer opportunities to people and communities who have traditionally been underrepresented,” he said. “It has had a powerful impact on higher education and a vast number of students, faculty, and staff across time. Without question, it is one of a set of tools that has helped create campus communities that reflect what businesses and industry need in today’s global, diverse economy.” 

He added, “Universities like Eastern Michigan will continue to lead on the diversity front — we have a long history of proactively building and maintaining a diverse living and learning community without having to offer a specialized enrollment opportunity. We have every expectation that Eastern’s deep and impactful diversity work will continue for decades to come.” 

To put it bluntly, the rapid attacks on DEI run counter to every credible study in the last decade that has shown that diversity is not only a compelling need but that it is good for business. A diverse consumer market helps a company grow. 

For years, there have been forces determined to thwart the redeeming benefits of having inclusive workplaces and environments where everyone not only feels welcomed, but is able to rise to their highest potential without feeling limited or obstructed in the process. 

At least for now, EMU’s act of faith should inspire others not to run away from DEI. 

 X (formerly Twitter): @BankoleDetNews

bankole@bankolethompson.com

Bankole Thompson’s columns appear on Mondays and Thursdays in The Detroit News.