The University of Michigan (U of M) announced in late March that it would be rolling back its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program. It’s not the first time the University has run into controversy at the intersection of racial inequity, student life, and campus policy.
Beginning in late 2023, and through the spring of 2024, various student groups held demonstrations on campus, calling on the university to divest from companies doing business with Israel. The ACLU went on to file a lawsuit against the U of M on behalf of five students who received “trespass bans” after participating in demonstrations.
But student activism at the university goes back as far as the 1970s, when students within the Black Action Movement (BAM) advocated for more equitable recruitment and enrollment policies for students of color.
Matthew Johnson, an associate professor of history at Washington & Jefferson College, wrote a book on the U of M’s history with controversial policies around racial inequity. The book, Undermining Racial Justice: How One University Embraced Inclusion and Inequality, covers decades of the U of M’s responses to student activism.
He expressed that the recent rollback of DEI programs at the university was a disappointment, but not a surprise.
“To be surprised at these executive orders and, you know, what the Trump administration has done, that would be a complete lack of duty and imagination,” Johnson said. “Because you could see this coming pretty easily.”
As a result of the BAM, the U of M committed to the goal of enrolling a student body that was 10% Black. However, after the 1970s, administrators “really regretted” setting that goal, Johnson said.
“Black students along the way have asked that if this is such an important goal, then you need to start holding people accountable for not meeting it, “ Johnson said. “And that could mean firing people who aren't putting the effort in. It could mean providing incentives for people to meet those goals. But the accountability… has generally been missing.”
According to Johnson, the U of M has, time after time, opted to prioritize other elements of its reputation over its commitment to racial diversity and equity.
“Whenever there was a moment, a kind of a fork in the road, [the U of M] could have gone one way, but that way would have sacrificed, perhaps their position as the best public university in the country,” Johnson said. “They're never willing to go down that road.”
Through a spokesperson, the University of Michigan declined to comment for this story. In announcing the termination of its DEI initiatives, U of M said it was making the changes "in response to executive orders from the Trump administration" — including "several that broadly criticized DEI programs" — and internal discussions on campus that revealed that some people "did not feel included in DEI initiatives and that the programming fell short in fostering connections among diverse groups."
Hear our full conversation with Matthew Johnson on today’s podcast.
Editor's note: U of M holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.
