On January 20, 2025, the 47th US president issued an executive order terminating “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) mandates, policies, programs, preferences, and activities in the Federal Government,” characterizing such programs as “illegal and immoral[.]” Exec. Order No. 14,173 (signed Jan. 20, 2025), 90 CFR 8633 (published January 31, 2025).

I disagree. There is nothing “illegal nor immoral” about DEIA. If these programs were illegal, the courts would have reached that conclusion a long time ago. The first DEIA program in the US arguably dates to 1865, when the federal government provided employment and other assistance to veterans of the Civil War and their widows.

To the contrary, the principles of diversity, equity, equality, inclusion and accessibility are fundamental American values, reflected in our history and our Constitution. They represent America at its best, and what it aspires to become. It reflects an awareness that we are all in this together, and that the fragile project of democracy will not last long if we are systematically excluding some of our sisters and brothers, while systematically privileging others. Martin Luther King, Jr. observed that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”; DEIA values are just one small step in America’s long journey toward that goal.

The people below have good things to say about this.

—Bruce Volbeda

“A diverse mix of voices leads to better discussions, decisions, and outcomes for everyone.”

“A garden’s beauty never lies in one flower.”

“‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ … There is no commandment greater than these.””

“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.”

“Race and religion do not separate people; ignorance does.”

“Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“Strength lies in differences, not in similarities.”

“There are not more than five musical notes, yet the combinations of these five give rise to more melodies than can ever be heard. There are not more than five primary colors, yet in combination they produce more hues than can ever been seen. There are not more than five cardinal tastes, yet combinations of them yield more flavors than can ever be tasted.”

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

“We are all different, which is great because we are all unique. Without diversity, life would be very boring.”

“When everyone is included, everyone wins.”

“All too will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.”

“It is never too late to give up your prejudices.”

“Justice is indiscriminately due to all, without regard to numbers, wealth, or rank.”

“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color.”

“We will all profit from a more diverse, inclusive society, understanding, accommodating, even celebrating our differences, while pulling together for the common good.”

“Equal and exact justice to all men…freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of the person under the protection of the habeas corpus; and trial by juries impartially selected — these principles form the bright constellation that has gone before us.”

“Equality is leaving the door open for anyone who has the means to approach it; equity is ensuring there is a pathway to that door for those who need it.”

“Equality is treating everyone the same. But equity is taking differences into account, so everyone has a chance to succeed.”

“I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow creatures happy.”

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

“We have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifices. Capitalism was built on the exploitation of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor, both black and white, both here and abroad.”

“Whatever you do to the least of my brothers, you do to me”

“When a broad table is to be made, and the edges of planks do not fit, the artist takes a little from both, and makes a good joint. In like manner, here, both sides must part from some of their demands, in order that they may join in some accommodating proposition.”

“As mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more able to allow that those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protection of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations in examples of justice and liberality.”

“History affords us many instances of the ruin of states, by the prosecution of measures ill suited to the temper and genius of their people. The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy. An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy[.]”

“There can be no truer principle than this — that every individual of the community at large has an equal right to the protection of government.”

“We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

“An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.”

“Diversity is a fact, but inclusion is a choice we make every day. As leaders, we have to put out the message that we embrace and not just tolerate diversity.”

“Diversity: the art of thinking independently together.”

“If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safer for diversity.”

“It’s so clear that you have to cherish everyone. I think that’s what I get from these older black women, that every soul is to be cherished, that every flower is to bloom.”

“Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Hate destroys a man’s sense of values and his objectivity. It causes him to describe the beautiful as ugly and the ugly as beautiful, and to confuse the true with the false and the false with the true.”

“Stupidity and unconscious bias often work more damage than venality.”

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members, a heart of grace and a soul generated by love.”

“Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

“We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same.”

“We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone … and whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads form one to another that creates something.”

“We have become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes and different dreams.”

“We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

“Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day.”

“If we want to include everyone, we have to help everyone develop their talents and use their gifts for the good of the community. That’s what inclusion means– everyone contributes.”

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences.”

“There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people, by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power, than by violent and sudden usurpations.”

“Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly”

“All life is interrelated. The agony of the poor impoverishes the rich; the betterment of the poor enriches the rich. We are inevitably our brother’s keeper because we are our brother’s brother. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.”

“Just because a man lacks the use of his eyes doesn’t mean he lacks vision.”

“We are called to speak for the weak, for the voiceless, for the victims of our nation and for those it calls enemy, for no document from human hands can make these humans any less our brothers and sisters.”

“Alone we can do so little. Together we can do so much.”

“Being disabled should not mean being disqualified from having access to every aspect of life.”

“My disability exists not because I use a wheelchair, but because the broader environment isn’t accessible.”

“My expectations were reduced to zero when I was 21. Everything since then has been a bonus.”

“My wheelchair is not my disability, it’s people’s attitude towards it.”

“The more I surrounded myself with blind people the more I knew of possibilities. The more I surrounded myself with sighted people the more I knew of my limits. Or was it their limits?”

“There is no greater disability in society than the inability to see a person as more.”