POV: Where has the money gone?

"In January of this year, Donald Trump returned to office as US president for a second term, and, within days, began reversing progress - and potential progress - towards Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the federal government. He issued two executive orders that U-turned on DEI policies across federal agencies, including one dating back to the civil rights era. What followed was a rapid and worrying domino effect."

"Before many had a chance to digest what these rollbacks meant or what the impact could be, a flurry of companies began quietly rolling back DEI-related policies and initiatives - LinkedIn was awash with projects cancelled, and jobs lost. It wasn't long before creative communities began to suffer the impact too. One such community is Where are the Black Designers? (WATBD) - a volunteer-run, non-profit design advocacy organisation that operates in the US and UK."

""This year, fundraising has been significantly harder than for our previous events," the organisation shared in a recent statement online. "The shift in the political and economic climate over the past year, particularly in the DEI space, has impacted us more than we anticipated." In August, WATBD had a weekend-long festival planned to celebrate Black creativity with panel talks, workshops, a market, spotlights, a club night and a jazz night - there was one main incentive: "We wanted people to understand what true community is," says Mitzi Okou, co-founder of WATBD."

Donald Trump returned to office in January and moved quickly to reverse Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policies in the federal government through two executive orders, including one affecting longstanding civil-rights-era measures. The executive action triggered a rapid domino effect as companies began quietly dismantling DEI programs, cancelling projects and cutting jobs. Creative communities experienced immediate consequences. Where are the Black Designers? (WATBD), a volunteer-run non-profit operating in the US and UK, reported fundraising became significantly harder and said the shifting political and economic climate impacted them more than anticipated. An August festival celebrating Black creativity was postponed after several companies pulled $68,000 in funding.

Read at Itsnicethat