🔒From the Editor: Standing against the anti-DEI wave

Four years ago, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer and the ensuing national reckoning on race, business and political leaders in Central Massachusetts and across the nation were falling over themselves to embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in an attempt to mitigate the stain of America’s original sin.

The reversal in attitudes toward DEI, particularly nationally, over the last four years has been stark and disturbing. Instead of embracing high-minded goals and struggling over how exactly to achieve them, DEI initiatives are falling by the wayside. Those still in place face a strong backlash. National brands like Bud Light and Tractor Supply Co. abandoned their goals in the face of loud opposition from the small anti-DEI crowd. The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling against affirmative action in college admissions was a particularly devastating blow.

WBJ, though, remains firmly committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we are thankfully joined by high-profile Central Massachusetts institutions, which are making their own progress toward achieving a more equitable economy. In 2020, WBJ Publisher Peter Stanton and I wrote about how the region’s business community couldn’t realize its full potential until all people and their talents were given opportunities to flourish. That belief remains a core value of WBJ, and diversity & inclusion is one of our reporters’ four main industry beats, along with manufacturing, health care, and real estate.

This annual Diversity & Inclusion Special Edition is part of our ongoing DEI commitment and the showcase for our expertise in the space for the Central Massachusetts business community. The edition is anchored by four strong feature stories, including the latest battle in the struggle for equity in the cannabis industry, an innovative approach to address the long-term shortage in the human service workforce for people of color, how the City of Worcester changed its chief diversity officer role in the hopes of creating stability in the position, and the latest call for better diversity in Worcester’s circles of power.

Achieving true sustainable change in the fabric of society and economy requires an ongoing and deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, in spite of any short-term headwinds. At WBJ, we are in this for the long haul.

Brad Kane is the editor of Worcester Business Journal.