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🗞 Driving the news: As 2020's racial reckoning gives way to a potential rollback of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, corporate America and employment law face a crossroads
• The U.S. Supreme Court's ban on race-conscious admissions in colleges raises questions about potential impacts on employment diversity practices

🔭 The context: Since 1965, federal contractors have been mandated to take affirmative action towards fairness in hiring, a policy signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson
• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Title VII also prohibited employment discrimination. However, the recent Supreme Court's ruling may lead to corporations scaling back DEI initiatives 

🌍  Why it matters for the Planet: Diversity and inclusion in the workplace are considered essential for innovation, employee retention, and overall company success
• The retreat from DEI initiatives threatens these benefits and could deepen the racial disparities in the employment sector

⏭️ What's next: Experts predict an increase in lawsuits challenging race-conscious policies in employment, spurred on by the Supreme Court's decision
• The future of diversity in the workforce now hinges on how companies, law enforcement bodies, and the judiciary interpret and apply the existing laws surrounding affirmative action in employment

💬 One quote: "The legal answer is nothing. [The Supreme Court's decision] was decided under the equal protection clause of the Constitution, which does not apply to private employers," (Pauline Kim, employment law expert at the Washington University)

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