Despite the ongoing threats to diversity, equity, and inclusion, college DEI programs are important for students of color to feel like they belong
September 08, 2026 by EdTrust 
The Supreme Court’s 2023 decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard (SFFA) effectively ended affirmative action in college admissions — supercharging the decade’s mounting backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Since entering office, the Trump administration has used that ruling to advance its anti-DEI agenda, relying on a misinterpretation of the decision, backed by the threat of enforcement and funding cuts, to target lawful programs and initiatives designed to uplift under-represented students in higher education. Increased federal scrutiny toward DEI efforts has also emboldened state politicians to continue their own anti-DEI attacks (see our DEI Tracker Map). In response, institutions are preemptively self-censoring lawful speech, curricula, and supports that help every student succeed.
This leaves students of color who attend predominantly white institutions (PWIs) feeling even more isolated from their peers, which can affect their social, emotional, and academic well-being. This underscores the importance of DEI programs: they provide crucial support for meeting the needs of all students on campus and help students develop a sense of belonging. For students to feel safe and supported on campus, their college experience must include a positive and inclusive campus racial climate. Despite that reality, these programs are currently facing diminishing institutional support and unrelenting attacks on both the federal and state level.
EdTrust created this advocacy toolkit and adaptable associated resources so you can protect DEI programs at colleges and universities and open more doors for college students in your state.
Submitting public or written testimony is a powerful advocacy strategy to relay the effects of a written bill to a committee. Below are some templates to use as a starting point to draft testimony against bills targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion. These testimonies should be adapted to your state context and highlight your personal experience or expertise.
Statewide education policies affect millions of students, families, and communities and have a far-reaching impact on education equity and justice. But how do you decide who has the power to move your advocacy campaign forward? Who may be in opposition, fall in a neutral stance, and who can be converted into a supporter? These resources will help grow your capacity to answer those questions to effectively influence a specific issue by identifying key legislators, policymakers, and change agents.
This dashboard is part of the Building the Conditions for Student Success: An Advocacy Toolkit for State Policy and Institutional Action, a set of tools and resources designed to support efforts to protect and advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in higher education. The dashboard provides data on 150% (6-year) graduation rates for students at 4-year institutions, sourced from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Users can explore and download detailed statistics to inform advocacy and policy initiatives.
To counter these anti-DEI attacks, advocates must stay vigilant and take action to defend DEI programs so that students of color can succeed in college and full participate in the economy and the American Dream. We hope this suite of resources will help your efforts. If you have any questions, please contact info@edtrust.org.
February 11, 2026 by Durriya Ahmed, Brianna Huynh, Paulina Fraser These institutions were founded on the premise of accessible education, but how accessible are they to Indigenous students?
June 02, 2025 by EdTrust Ever since Donald Trump took office on January 20, 2025, he and his administration have enacted harmful education policies that put our nation’s students at risk
As an accompaniment to our analysis of Black student enrollment, EdTrust explored enrollment for Latino students at the nation’s 122 most selective private four-year colleges and universities.
