DEI Then and Now (with Paul Breines)

Hotel Bar Sessions

Who's afraid of DEI? And why?

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives have become institutional mainstays in corporate and academic settings—but they are currently under attack. In this episode of Hotel Bar Sessions, Leigh and Devonya sit down with Freedom Rider and retired Associate Professor of History at Boston College, Paul Breines, to reflect on the evolution of social justice movements from the civil rights struggles of the 1960s to today’s embattled DEIA programs. How did a radical movement for racial justice morph into bureaucratic diversity training? And how should we understand the backlash against DEIA as part of a longer history of reactionary politics?

Is what we're seeing in today’s political climate a Second Reconstruction or a Second Redemption? The hosts discuss the ideological shifts that have transformed how both the left and right frame issues of race, gender, sexuality, ability, and inclusion—asking whether the language of justice has been co-opted by those seeking to dismantle it. From the Freedom Rides to contemporary campus activism, we dig into what has changed, what remains the same, and whether today’s movements need a more radical edge.

What kind of activism does this moment demand?

Full episode notes available at this link:
https://hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/episode-175-dei-then-and-now-with-paul-breines

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