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Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Controversy

What Put the Brakes on DEI?
5:30 PM 7:30 PM
Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Hall, Rockhurst University, 5351 Forest Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110
09
Sep

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Controversy

5:30 PM 7:30 PM
Pedro Arrupe, S.J., Hall, Rockhurst University, 5351 Forest Ave, Kansas City, MO 64110

SAVE THE DATE! September 9, 2025

DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) efforts have become a cultural and political lightning rod in recent election cycles, yet many people struggle to agree on what DEI is actually trying to accomplish. It means different things to different audiences—from HR departments to college campuses to the federal government. This program asks whether recent DEI policies in corporate and academic spaces have yielded real progress or gone too far. Was the backlash against DEI overdue, or did it set equity efforts back decades? Our panelists will explore how to empower diverse perspectives in workplaces and on campuses without virtue signaling, and how legacies of racism continue to shape and polarize conversations around DEI.

Program Panelists

Monica Harris is Executive Director of Fair For All, a nonpartisan multidisciplinary organization committed to bridging the ideological divide by focusing on our shared values and interests. Harris received her B.A. from Princeton University and J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she served as an editor of the Harvard Law Review with then-future president Barack Obama. After working for more than two decades as a senior executive of business and legal affairs at Walt Disney Television, NBCUniversal Entertainment, and ViacomCBS, Monica abandoned corporate life and moved with her family to Montana. During her retreat in Big Sky, she made a life-changing discovery: regardless of race, political persuasion, or sexual orientation, most Americans have far more in common than they realize. Monica is also a TEDx speaker, author, and blogger. Her book, The Illusion of Division, is available on Amazon.

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