Community reacts to DEI executive order INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana Gov. Mike Braun’s decision on Wednesday to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion practices in state government has sparked strong reactions from local organizations. The order prohibits state agencies from supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, procedures, or activities that give preferential treatment based on race, ethnicity, or other factors. Braun says the goal of this order is to ensure equality for all Hoosiers, but critics argue it could undermine efforts to address systemic inequalities, and that there are other issues that should take priority. “I have to say the timing of this is bad when you look at everything we’re facing when we’re starting the 2025 session,” said State Rep. Earl Harris Jr., D-East Chicago, and chair of the Indiana Black Legislative Caucus. “We have major issues and topics to deal with: Health care, housing, property taxes. We should be focusing on those and better the lives of Hoosiers.” DEI will be replaced with MEI to promote “Merit, Excellence, and Innovation.” As Harris sees it, that change creates a false narrative that DEI leads to unqualified individuals getting promoted based only on their race or nationality. Harris says the pool of qualified people will only get smaller.“Those that are still in the pool may look at this and go, ‘I have less competition, therefore why not charge more? Why not put out bigger numbers than I normally put?’ That cannot be good for the finances of the state,” Harris said. Harris says the state should strive to create a talented, diverse workforce that reflects the makeup of the communities. “Indiana is a place where we want to make it welcoming,” Harris said. “Eliminating DEI actually takes away from that. It makes it less welcoming. That means we’ll have less people that want to stay here and less people that want to come here.” Asian American Alliance president Rupal Thanawala says it’s important for diverse organizations to think about creative and collaborative ways to sit down and work with the new administration. “We have been very strategic about building those partnerships,” Thanawala said. Thanawala doesn’t think Braun’s change to MEI means that underrepresented communities will be left out of opportunities in the communities. “It’s a little bit early for us to start making those comments,” Thanawala said. “One thing we want to be careful of is that there’s no increase in hate crimes. That’s my biggest concern because Asian American communities have been attacked in the past, so that is the one concern I have.” As Thanawala sees it, the Asian American community in Indiana has not received many benefits from the state’s DEI budget, so she doesn’t think things will change much.“We have always been a thought on the fringes,” Thanawala said. “We have been always working through the system to prove our presence and we had to work every hard to prove we even belonged here.” Thanawala says while the order has already taken effect, its long-term impact remains uncertain. Both organizations plan to continue their DEI initiatives, even without state support. Agencies must review and adjust their DEI initiatives for compliance by April 30.