Helpful Resources for Promoting Access in Anti-DEI Times

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is an umbrella concept encompassing a range of strategies designed to level the playing field in education and the workforce. At its core, DEI ensures that talent, skill, and ability—not wealth or privilege—drive success.

Alongside federal civil rights protections, DEI policies and practices have been essential in addressing historical inequities that have long shaped American institutions. Without DEI, K-12 school systems, colleges and universities, and employers have overlooked—and may continue to overlook—the merit of millions of talented people who lack access or don’t fit a traditional mold. This includes students and workers of color, women and LGBTQIA+ people, individuals from low-income backgrounds, and residents of both rural and urban communities.

DEI is not going away—because the need for it remains. The U.S. still requires DEI to build a truly level playing field through educational and workforce systems. Every day, teams at CSW work to support organizations, practitioners, and policymakers in their efforts to lower barriers and create more accessible systems for education and meaningful work. However, in 2025, the onslaught of anti-DEI executive actions, legislation, and court rulings is disrupting this work. The impact is not just structural—it is also physically, emotionally, and mentally draining for professionals in the field. Many have lost jobs and watched their colleagues and friends lose their jobs. Others have had to rearrange their duties and projects to comply with executive orders and legislation, minimizing legal risk.

For those individuals and teams who can continue this work, staying engaged requires resilience, adaptation, and a commitment to finding new ways forward. In further support, we are sharing information and resources we have internally collected to help our partners—and ourselves—stay focused on opportunities and a better future.

Resources for Strategically Adjusting Messaging

Like individuals and organizations across the country, our teams are considering ways to shift our messaging to minimize legal risk while continuing to expand access to higher education and workforce development. Fortunately, a growing number of online resources support this shift and are available to help people and organizations interpret executive orders and the law, understand the nuances of anti-DEI goals and rhetoric, and use different language and frameworks while continuing the work. These resources also go beyond communications tools – they help us continue to make the case for a more level playing field in education and workforce development.

In 2025, leveling the playing field also requires us to acknowledge the intersectionality of learners’ and workers’ identities, including race, class, gender, sexuality, and other characteristics. LGBTQIA+ individuals and immigrant communities, in particular, face heightened threats to their safety and well-being, compounding existing barriers to higher education and workforce participation. Organizations like the Human Rights Campaign offer guidance on being an ally to trans and non-binary individuals, starting with inclusive language. Meanwhile, reports from the Migrant Policy Institute and others provide key insights and talking points on immigrant workers, undocumented students, and their vital contributions to the U.S. economy.

To support these efforts, we’ve curated a set of resources that provide guidance on strategic and inclusive messaging, including legal considerations.

• Guide for Messaging Equity in Higher Ed & Workforce Development – CSW’s report, conducted with community colleges, on evidence-based strategies for communicating about equity in an evolving climate surrounding DEI.
• Best Practices for Communicating about DEI – From Harvard Business Review, a series of strategies and language for communicating about DEI while avoiding legal risk.
• Inclusive Language Guide – CSW-developed resource for using person-centered, culturally-responsive language to describe others.
• Be an Ally – Support Trans Equality – Guide to supporting trans and non-binary individuals, beginning with inclusive language.
• The Vital Role of Immigrant-Origin Workers in the U.S. – A report on how immigrant workers and their U.S. born families in meeting U.S. workforce needs.

Resources for Building Resilience & Positivity

Experts have previously defined resilience as positively adapting to or being able to “maintain or regain mental health, despite experiencing adversity” (Herrman et al., 2011, p. 259). In 2025, it is easy to experience burnout just from work itself, let alone from navigating a political climate that threatens the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans. Simple wellness practices such as a short online breathing exercise are scientifically proven to help manage stress. Meanwhile, numerous online guides offer strategies to address overwhelm and exhaustion.

At CSW, our teams have been taking steps to show empathy and create a workplace that reinforces resilience at work. For example, we use a feelings/emotions wheel to start meetings with a one-word heart check: Give us one word that describes how you are feeling today. We also use Microsoft Teams and an internal newsletter to share tips for staying sane, healthy, and joyful during this challenging time. In staff meeting icebreakers, we share the positive ways we spend our time outside of work, including exercising and spending time with our families and pets, and our picks for TV, books, movies, and travel. Our leaders have normalized taking time during and outside working hours to care for ourselves.

Workplace allies also matter in terms of feeling psychologically safe at work. Though it can take some time, identifying workplace allies can help with completing tasks, overcoming job challenges, and addressing toxic environments, including those shaped by today’s political climate.

The following resources offer strategies and advice for building resilience and fostering psychological safety in the workplace.

• Breathing Exercise – Short video breathing exercise and instructions from the Mayo Clinic.
• Surviving Tough Times By Building Resilience – Online resource to help people improve their resilience and improve their ability to withstand loss, change, and trauma of difficult times.
• Your Realistic Guide to Beating Burnout – Atlassian’s guide to beating burnout in our hustle culture, which goes beyond recommendations for self-care and vacation-taking.
• Practice Empathy as a Team – Ten strategies to help individuals working in teams recognize how each other are feeling and engage with empathy.
• Feelings Wheel – Resource that you can use to check-in on how folks are feeling in meetings and calls.
• What is Allyship in the Workplace? – Guide to creating a more inclusive workplace alongside five strategies to be an ally at work.
• Finding Your Allies – Resource outlining how to find people who’ve got your back and can help you be successful in your tasks and duties.

Resources for Gathering Information & Skills to Continue Working

Our teams are also staying committed by expanding our knowledge and skills and applying what we learn to our projects improving access to education, employment, and economic mobility. Online and in-person training helps us continue advocating for people and communities and disrupting barriers during these difficult times. For example, for those interested in learning how to be a positive bystander in situations involving violence, harassment, or disrespect, Right To Be (formerly Hollaback!) offers training tailored for workplaces and other settings to support diverse communities and reduce harassment and disrespect. Other resources exist, which provide guidance on disrupting racism in both personal and professional settings.

The sheer volume of information about executive orders and other anti-DEI actions can make tracking and interpreting current events and their effects difficult. It’s been helpful for us to attend webinars and consult information from legal firms and scholars, which offer valuable insights to help understand how these actions impact higher education and workforce development.

Training programs are also available to help individuals develop empathy and foster positive workplace relationships. CSW’s Trauma & Resilience team also regularly hosts training for clients and our staff and has produced numerous resources to help others navigate and respond to trauma at work.

To support these efforts, we’ve gathered a selection of resources that offer guidance on advocacy, resilience, and navigating the evolving landscape surrounding higher education and workforce development.

• What do leaders need to know about the Department of Education’s new guidance on race and civil rights? – Brookings Institute webinar with legal scholars discussing the DCL, current law, and implications for schools, districts, states, and colleges.
• AAUP Helps to Stop Anti-DEI Executive Orders – News from the Ohio AAUP about recent executive orders, the “Dear Colleague” letter, and the current state of the law.
• Legal Answers to Questions About Department of Education FAQ’s and Dear Colleague Letter – A video and transcript from Jackson Lewis law firm.
• Upcoming Trainings on Resilience and Bystander Intervention – Right To Be’s calendar of free trainings to prepare individuals and organizations to use positive strategies to address harassment and disrespect.
• Moving Beyond Bystanding… To Disrupting Racism – Free course from George Washington School of Medicine (registration required), designed to help individuals address institutional and personal values to change racist culture, policies, and practices.
• Trauma & Resilience Quick Guides – Free downloadable guides from CSW with information on the science of trauma and resilience, how to address trauma in the workplace, and cultivating resiliency at work.
• Empathy & Emotional Intelligence at Work – Online course offered by Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center on the skills needed to foster trust and positive relationships at work.
• From Crisis to Resilience: Addressing Trauma and Toxic Stress in Workforce Development and Education Systems – White paper which shares recommendations for workforce and higher education leaders addressing the complex needs of individuals grappling with trauma and toxic stress.

For our teams at CSW, staying informed and resilient during these challenging times is essential to sustaining our impact and advancing equity, even in an anti-DEI environment. The relentless wave of anti-DEI measures has created uncertainty, fear, and real consequences for professionals in the field, but we remain committed to this work. As we reflect, learn, grow, and advocate for improvements, we recognize the power and support of external resources, partnerships, and collective action in driving meaningful change.