Progress is not linear. It zigs and zags, and despite the unpredictability, pursuing equality for all is the duty of each generation. As Juneteenth reminds us, the fight for freedom is a forever endeavor. At Vera, we champion diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We do so because the facts demand it.

The work of improving the criminal justice system necessarily centers a commitment to racial justice. It isn’t ideology to point out that when the United States was founded, the law did not recognize Black people as full citizens. The fruit of this poisoned tree remains in the practices and impacts of today’s criminal justice system. Bias, whether implicit or explicit, remains firmly entrenched in American life. Police are far more likely to stop, search, and arrest people of color. Black people are more likely than white people to experience use of force by police. Black and Latinx people are punished more severely, with harsher jail and prison sentences and death penalty applications than white people found guilty of the same crimes.

Workplace DEI policies arose in response to documented discrimination against historically marginalized groups. These policies are a lawful and important tool that employers can use to create and maintain nondiscriminatory workplaces. Such efforts include evaluating pay equity, training employees to recognize when stereotypes and assumptions may be influencing their behavior, and casting a wide net for talent from many backgrounds. This is why Vera recently signed onto an amicus brief opposing President Trump’s “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” executive order. This order targets DEI programs and threatens the ability of organizations to combat discrimination in the workforce and ensure equal opportunity. For all.

Ending racial disparities and advancing equity in the criminal justice system should not be controversial. These goals have been at the center of our work at Vera, with partners across geographies, politics, and priorities, and in this season of regression, we must (and will) find ways to maintain our commitment.

At the federal level, we are fighting alongside businesses, scientists, and civil rights groups to get funding restored for public safety and to affirm free speech and pro-equity efforts. Simultaneously, we watch with dismay as the Trump administration has undone federal data collection on race, gun violence, and police misconduct and abuse of power. These actions will seriously harm the ability to understand how policing, court, and incarceration policies may disproportionately harm certain communities, and to hold leaders accountable for reforms. What doesn’t get measured, can’t be managed. It is disheartening to see the end of police reform agreements which stemmed from investigations after the high-profile killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd in 2020.

At the local and state level, we continue to do the practical work with our partners of reducing disparities in sentencing, traffic stops, and access to education in prison.

And in our own house, we examine our workplace practices to ensure that staff of all backgrounds can thrive. Diversity across races, incomes, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, geographies, and life experiences makes our thinking sharper and our discussions richer. It protects us from groupthink and leads to better decision-making.

The current backlash against DEI and racial justice isn’t surprising in the context of American history. The history of our nation is replete with periods of progress being met with retrenchment and regress. Indeed, the intensity of the current moment can be seen as a result of victories we have won in this field in recent years. A mere 20 years ago, you could barely talk about racial disparities in the criminal justice system, much less address them. Popular opinion held that most of the problem was the bad choices of individuals, with little acceptance and fluency in the ways in which systemic racism shapes opportunity, advantage, and disadvantage.

Fast forward to 2020, and we saw millions of people mobilizing against racism and for change at the height of the protests following George Floyd’s murder. We saw a decline in the numbers of people behind bars and an increase in the numbers of organizations that correctly saw diversity as a strength.

Through strategic initiatives, research, and tireless advocacy, Vera and the organizations we work alongside have made real progress. In the repeating patterns of progress and backlash in American history, this moment is no surprise. Together, we will weather this storm. We will ensure that efforts to turn diversity, equity, and inclusion into slurs don’t succeed. We will continue to work for a country that treats all people justly and with dignity and gives all people a fair chance to thrive.