Hello, hello, this is Brooke DeVard and you're listening to the Naked Beauty podcast.

What started out as conversations about DE and I and anti-DDI legislation became conversations about how we all collectively push through this moment and not just survive but thrive under this administration.

An administration that wants to scale back progress, dim the light of the LGBTQ community.

I mean, the anti-trans legislation that's being passed is abhorrent.

And this administration seems intent on scaling back progress

for people of color, for women. They want to make it harder for black entrepreneurs to find success.

They want to deport hardworking people who make up the fabric of this country. I mean, I don't want

to downplay how difficult things are. And I think we're all feeling it in different ways.

But I also wanted to think about it

through the lens of the beauty community for us as beauty consumers to think about what we can do,

how we can be intentional with the way we spend our dollar. And DEI initiatives,

DEI standing for diversity, equity and inclusion, of course, there have been anti-DEI initiatives

in every single sector. In educational institutions,

anti-D-EI laws have led to the closure of multicultural and LGBTQ plus campus centers,

support systems for historically underrepresented students, including black community centers,

taking away these programs, take away resources that contribute to academic success and just general mental health and well-being.

In some cases, they're encouraging that schools do not teach about American slavery.

In the corporate sector, many companies have scaled back DEI initiatives, Amazon, Google, Walmart, Meta, they've all scaled

back DEI programs, citing compliance with new state and federal directives. This rollback will,

without a doubt, adversely affect workplace diversity and limit opportunities for people of color

and limit opportunities for people of color and workplace and limit opportunities for

people of color in workplaces. And then the beauty industry, which the beauty industry has made

...