Why DEI is Caught in a Spiral of Silence

This piece was originally published on AL.com on February 13, 2025.

Last March, Alabama passed Senate Bill 129, effectively eliminating DEI programs in schools and institutions across the state. At the time, I wrote an op-ed explaining how this would negatively impact my classroom—not because I was leading formal DEI trainings, but because it would stifle important conversations. Given the similar backgrounds of my students, open dialogue was often the only way to engage with perspectives different from their own. But with the vague language of the law, I worried that these exchanges could be interpreted as “trainings.” So, I stopped them.

Fast forward to January 2025 and any ambiguity is gone. SB 129 was a warm-up act compared to the Executive Order, Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, which cast a wider net and struck a more ominous tone.

Since then, I’ve noticed a growing hesitancy in higher education circles to discuss anything that might fall under the DEI umbrella. People weigh their words carefully, not just for those in the room but for external stakeholders, policymakers, and even potential whistleblowers emboldened by the executive order. This phenomenon aligns with the Spiral of Silence Theory, the idea that when people perceive a topic as controversial or risky, they are less likely to speak about it for fear of backlash. As fewer voices engage, the silence reinforces the perception that the topic is off-limits, even if many still believe in its importance.

But the silence does not reflect reality. Sure, the DEI acronym has become politically toxic, but its components are not. Research has consistently shown the benefits of diverse groups of people, from Francis Galton’s famous wisdom of the crowds experiment in 1906, to more contemporary research on firm and team performance. More importantly, diversity isn’t just a corporate initiative or an academic talking point, it’s an undeniable reality of the world my students will navigate. Equity, too, is not a radical idea. At its core, it means ensuring that people can secure the resources they need. It does not advocate for equal outcomes, just a fair shot. Proponents of recent anti-DEI measures argue that merit alone should determine opportunity, but this position assumes a level playing field that plainly does not exist.

And inclusion? It is the belief that people should have the chance to participate. What we are really talking about is accessibility. Consider how many policies and technologies have been implemented—without controversy—to remove barriers for those who might otherwise be excluded. Everything from wheelchair ramps to eyeglasses, from medications to closed captioning. These initiatives reflect the very essence of DEI: recognizing the diversity of human experiences, addressing structural barriers to equity, and fostering inclusion by expanding access. As someone who now reads movies, I am personally grateful that Netflix provides a DEI-driven service for me.

Yet, when these principles are applied to race and gender, they are viewed as ideological wedges rather than foundational values. This is critical because, as the Spiral of Silence suggests, as fewer people engage in these exchanges, the more socially and professionally risky they seem. This is the paradox we now face, and it is especially urgent in academia. The very institutions tasked with preparing students for the interconnected global workforce must tiptoe around the concepts that will shape their success within it.
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So where do we go from here? I don’t have an answer. But I know two things: 1) learning does not thrive in silence, and 2) the purpose of higher education is not simply to transmit information. A college classroom is at its best when it challenges assumptions, broadens perspectives, and equips students for the real world. These outcomes require diversity—of backgrounds, thought, and lived experiences. This is not a personal philosophy; it’s how students become the thoughtful, well-rounded professionals that organizations want to hire. If we begin muting conversations around DEI, we don’t just lose words, we lose what makes education transformative in the first place.