Bloomberg Businessweek Black Leaders Confront the DEI Backlash: Businessweek Convenes
Mar 29, 2026
Ursula Burns, former Xerox CEO and trailblazing Fortune 500 leader; Nicole Reboe, executive-search CEO who places diverse senior talent; Jacob Walthour Jr., finance executive focused on Black leadership; Lisa Wardell, board director and DEI data advocate; Chris Williams, veteran banker and diversity champion. They discuss the DEI backlash, corporate retrenchment, mentorship and talent pipelines, measuring inclusion, and preparing the next generation.
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Political Backlash Threatens Proven DEI Benefits
- Backlash against DEI is partly political, not evidence-based, and threatens to erase documented business benefits of diversity.
- Chris Williams and others note decades of data showing diverse teams make better decisions and drive innovation and revenue gains.
Treat DEI As Long Term Brand Investment
- Invest in diversity as a long-term brand and talent strategy even if short-term returns aren't obvious.
- Lisa Wardell urges treating DEI like marketing spend that yields out-of-period returns to avoid future performance problems.
Target Example Shows How Corporate Stances Can Reverse
- Target opened shelves to hundreds of Black businesses then later rolled back amid political pressure and sales concerns.
- Panelists used the Target example to show how corporate value statements collapsed under external attacks.