In 2020, after a white police officer murdered George Floyd, a national reckoning began over systemic racism.

Black lives matter. Black lives matter. Corporate America rushed to join in, promising to fight discrimination and increase opportunities for workers of all backgrounds.

And they put real muscle behind these promises,

hiring thousands of specialists to implement them. By early 2023, U.S. companies employed more

than 20,000 people focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. For Candice Bardsong-Williams, an executive

who'd spent over a decade in DEI work, it was an exciting shift. She told NPR's Maria Aspen that she was hearing from recruiters constantly. My inbox was completely on fire. Completely on fire. But it wasn't long before the backlash started, from conservative influencers, politicians, lawyers.

That same year, the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action at colleges and universities,

and Bud Light lost more than $1 billion in sales from a conservative boycott after hiring a transgender

influencer for a short promotional video.

By the time President Trump started his second term, the anti-DEI movement was already well underway.

And then, the executive orders began. We've ended the tyranny of so-called diversity, equity, and inclusion policies all across the entire federal government and indeed the private sector and our military. Consider this. Corporate America has retreated from DEI and slashed thousands of jobs, so where does that leave the people who've built careers around that work?

From NPR, I'm Juana Summers.

This message comes from Wise, the app for using money around the globe.

When you manage your money with Wise, you'll always get the mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees.

Join millions of customers and visit Wise.com. T's and C's Apply.

It's Consider This from NPR. Chief Diversity Officer was once corporate America's hottest job.

Now, DEI is under attack, leaving the people with careers in diversity, equity, and inclusion out in the cold.

NPR business correspondent Maria Aspen brings us the story of one veteran executive

who's been job hunting for more than a year.

She reported this spring from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Candice Birdsong Williams starts her mornings reading from the Bible on her bedside table.

Then she turns to a daily devotional reading.

...