“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” — the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

On Jan. 20, as millions of Americans celebrated the national holiday honoring her father, Bernice King, the youngest daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., gave an insightful speech at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where her father was once a pastor.

“So as we commemorate the King holiday, we stand at the dawn of a new presidential era,” she said. “We find ourselves at a critical juncture in our nation’s history, where the very foundations of freedom, justice and democracy that my father fought so tirelessly to build are being shaken.”

Bernice King was referencing anti-DEI rhetoric. Today her father’s famous quote is being used to defend dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. A leading social justice advocate, King regrets that her father’s words are taken out of context and used to oppose the very policies that he lived and died for.

Over the past year she has repeatedly spoken in support of DEI, which she believes is an opportunity for America to correct centuries of historical injustices against women, Black people and other people of color.

After all, in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, the Rev. King also said that America had given Black people a bad check; a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” “But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt,” he wrote. “We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.”

Supporters and industry experts insist that DEI has been politicized and is widely misunderstood. The recent findings of the “Diversity Matters Even More” report revealed the progress that DEI has made in a few short years. According to the report, women on executive teams increased by 20% and ethnic diversity increased by 15% in 2023.

DEI gained traction in 2020 in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic and social unrest over the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. COVID-19 and protests brought racial disparities and systemic barriers in health care, housing, employment and education into plain view. In response, businesses and organizations nationwide committed to establishing DEI initiatives.

Today, 5 years later, DEI has gone from being a means to correct historical injustices to being framed as a scapegoat. Major retailers, such as Target and Walmart, are backing away from DEI initiatives they once embraced. However, DEI has proven to be good business. A recent article in Forbes magazine titled “Why Corporate America Should Reconsider Scaling Back DEI” indicated that top-ranked companies for diversity are 39% more likely to outperform their counterparts.

According to news reports, “critics argue DEI programs are discriminatory and attempt to solve racial discrimination by disadvantaging other groups, particularly white Americans.” They are calling for a “colorblind America.” However, some view colorblindness as yet another form of racism that allows people to “sweep under the rug” the historical injustices that created widespread inequities in the first place.

As a community and nation, we heal from racial wounds by uncovering, acknowledging and seeking to remedy injustices. We heal by creating safe spaces to respectfully listen to one another’s truths, build trust and relationships and participate in community initiatives aimed at repairing the harm caused by centuries of systemic racism.

Last week on a cold winter night, I experienced the impact of racial healing in action. As a blanket of fresh snow covered the ground outside, more than 100 people gathered inside Legacy Hall for the sixth annual Greater Williamsburg National Day of Racial Healing . During the event, Vice Mayor Pat Dent and City Council member Ayanna Williams accepted the Table Builders Award for “Outstanding Government Agency” for the city’s allocation of $250,000 to establish the first-ever Descendant Scholarship program .

When we examine the entire body of the Rev. King’s work as a father, Civil Rights leader and pastor, clearly today’s DEI initiatives align with his heart for racial justice and healing. After all, it was King who said, “Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.”

When we come together to build a more diverse, equitable and inclusive community, we all win!