Jeremy Siegel: Forty years ago in Dorchester, three Black women who grew up in legalized segregation and a Jewish man who grew up in the civil rights movement launched a new nonprofit. They called it Visions, and their mission was to help institutions become more welcoming to people of color. But today, that mission is at the center of political and cultural battles, with diversity initiatives facing policy and legal challenges around the country. My co-host Paris Alston sat down with the Executive Director of Visions Elika Dadsetan-Foley, and DEI consultant Vernā Myers to discuss what’s next.

Paris Alston: So Elika, Visions began with a group of people wanting to find ways to include those who have been historically marginalized, specifically from white and mostly male institutions. Why is your work so important in the face of challenges to that very notion today?

Elika Dadsetan-Foley: One of the pieces that’s difficult to answer this question often is, you know, what does it mean to have an attack on DEI? I think DEI, by definition, is a scapegoat, much like CRT. You know, many people who say they oppose it probably don’t have enough information. As much as we’re feeling a chilling effect, we are also seeing many organizations doubling down on their efforts. Some are very intentionally saying, we’re not going to shy away from it. Some are being more intentional about how they’re framing the work that they do. But ultimately, what we do is help build and strengthen relationships. And when there’s harm, we support repairing the relationships. You know, division is very much felt today, as it has been since our founding, and we just hope that more individuals can understand our model and our tools.

Alston: Vernā, as a practitioner yourself, is this a moment to pivot or to double down?

Vernā Myers: It’s really the wrong direction to go back. But it is also important for us to assess what we’ve done well and what we haven’t, and then to move forward in something that I think Visions talks a lot about, which is the no blame, shame, and attack. This is not about some people being better or deserving more than others. It’s about creating a world where everyone is having meaningful opportunities, that are being treated with dignity, that are able to bring their best contributions to society. Because we’re in a society that has lots of issues, that needs to actually help as many people as possible, bringing their brilliance and their gifts and their perspectives in order to solve these issues.

Alston: What about higher ed institutions? Which we can look at one prime example here, Harvard, are really bumping up against things like the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action or even campus culture, and having to weigh the interests of all its students in approaching this.

Dadsetan-Foley: As we’re thinking about addressing a system like higher ed, it is a reflection of our culture. In the earlier waves of affirmative action, diversity was being added without necessarily paying attention to how to best prepare for those spaces to be successful. When we think about the work we do, again, it’s bringing people together for social cohesion, you know, so everyone can thrive. The ways that could show up in higher education, or the ways it could be applied in higher education, is just a realization that for a lot of folks, it’s that first time in a very diverse community. There’s just so many ways that we can help one another see that those differences are our strength. But again, I think it’s just misapplied in terms of how we define it and what the goal of quote-unquote DEI is.

Siegel: That was Elika Dadsetan-Foley and Vernā Myers , speaking with my co-host Paris Alston. Visions Inc. is celebrating its 40th anniversary with a gala tonight, and Paris will be emceeing. You're listening to GBH News.

Forty years ago in Dorchester, three Black women who grew up in legalized segregation and a Jewish man who grew up in the civil rights movement launched a new nonprofit.

They called it VISIONS, and their mission was to help institutions become more welcoming to people of color.

But today, that mission is at the center of political and cultural battles, with diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives facing policy and legal challenges around the country.

“One of the pieces that’s difficult to answer this question often is, what does it mean to have an attack on DEI?” said Elika Dadsetan-Foley, executive director of VISIONS, Inc. “I think DEI, by definition, is a scapegoat, much like CRT [critical race theory.] You know, many people who say they oppose it probably don’t have enough information.”

On Friday, VISIONS is hosting a gala to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Speakers include feminist writer Gloria Steinem and author Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, as well as DEI consultant Vernā Myers. GBH’s Morning Edition co-host Paris Alston will serve as emcee.

“[Because] we’re in a society that has lots of issues, that needs to actually have as many people as possible, bringing their brilliance and their gifts and their perspectives in order to solve these issues,” Myers said.

While backlash against DEI efforts has led to what Dadsetan-Foley called a chilling effect in some companies, other organizations are doubling down on theirs, she said.

Some of the focus is on college campuses, some of which have reported fewer Black students enrolling since a Supreme Court ruling effectively ended race-conscious admissions in 2023.

“As we’re thinking about addressing a system like higher ed, it is a reflection of our culture,” Dadsetan-Foley said.

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Earlier waves of affirmative action sometimes saw institutions admit more diverse student bodies without much consideration for how to best support their students, Dadsetan-Foley said.

“When we think about the work we do, again, it’s bringing people together for social cohesion, so everyone can thrive,” she said. “The ways that could show up in higher education, or the ways it could be applied in higher education, is just a realization that for a lot of folks, it’s that first time in a very diverse community. There’s just so many ways that we can help one another see that those differences are our strength. But again, I think it’s just misapplied in terms of how we define it and what the goal of quote-unquote DEI is.”

At the end of the day, she said, she sees VISIONS’ role as building and strengthening relationships.

“When there’s harm, we support repairing the relationships,” Dadsetan-Foley said. “Division is very much felt today, as it has been since our founding, and we just hope that more individuals can understand our model and our tools.”

And these efforts are still important, Myers said.

“It’s really the wrong direction to go back,” Myers said. “But it is also important for us to assess what we’ve done well and what we haven’t, and then to move forward in something that I think VISIONS talks a lot about, which is the no blame, shame and attack. This is not about some people being better or deserving more than others. It’s about creating a world where everyone is having meaningful opportunities, that are being treated with dignity, that are able to bring their best contributions to society.”