President Trump and his administration have hit the ground running since inauguration day, Jan. 20. A high number of executive orders — 89 signed as of March 7— have targeted various marginalized communities such as veterans, women, immigrants (predominantly Latinx/Hispanic communities), transgender people, Medicaid recipients, elders, Black people, federal workers and the list goes on.
The rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies is in effect for several large businesses and corporations. Ethnic Media Services held a panel discussion on March 7 to discuss how rollbacks to DEI affects small minority-owned businesses.
The panelists consisted of former Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Association (SBA), Dilawar Syed; President and General Counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF), Thomas A. Saenz; and President and CEO of Baru, Elizabeth Barrutia. They explored the negative impact of anti-DEI policies, how it has occurred systemically, and the benefits that allowed minority communities to thrive in America.
Dilawar Syed shared how “Black women start business at four times the rate than any other entrepreneur, so we responded to that with these programs to make sure there is access to capital,” said Syed of SBA.”
He also discussed how the Trump administration is targeting SBA offices in all major cities that have a ‘Sanctuary City’ policy such as New Orleans, Chicago and Denver. “Anyone who is working on initiatives to be more inclusive, those are all shut down. Anytime a president signs executive orders, he is forcing us to comply… he is directing independent agencies to say ‘we cannot do this.’”
Barrutia operates Barú, an independent and woman owned agency dedicated to elevating multicultural marketing and media. She said that the rollback to DEI policies greatly affect her as a Latina business owner and her employees.
She also discussed how the media landscape is shifting to appease the current administration, therefore impacting her company’s stance with advertisers. “If I don’t have contracts coming in, if I don’t have advertising solutions… My diverse suppliers like ethnic media services, broadcast and television stations, print outlets, digital publishers, or content creators [are at risk].”
Barrutia emphasized how minority centered funding was originally implemented in contracts and now the messaging is affected for mainstream audiences, causing corporations such as Target, Walmart, and Disney walk away from advertising through minority focused media outlets.
Saenz shifted the conversation by shedding light on the current administration’s focus on society rewinding history, returning to the racial and sexist oppression of the 1950s and 60s, in which mainly White men were able to highly benefit from systemic oppression.
“It’s about going backwards to a time in which discrimination was in favor of White men. It was much more widespread than it is today. It makes it easier for those who are inclined to participate in discrimination to do so… and easier to intimidate those who are interested in ending discrimination.”
