Interest Convergence: DEI, Capitalism, and the Business of Blackness

A powerful and diverse group of women march through the city streets, holding signs affirming their worth and demanding recognition.

Having spent years working within white-led nonprofit organizations that champion Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, I’ve noticed a recurring theme: many of these organizations are more invested in financial security and maintaining good optics than in driving real systemic change.

Now, as DEI comes under attack, many of these organizations are panicking—not out of genuine concern for equity, but out of fear. Fear of losing money, credibility, and access to power. This aligns with the concept of interest convergence—the idea that progress for marginalized groups is tolerated only when it aligns with the interests of the dominant group.

White-led companies and nonprofits didn’t embrace DEI out of a deep commitment to justice, they embraced it because it was profitable. DEI initiatives have often been a tool to secure funding, enhance public image, and tap into markets that value diversity. When financial gain is the primary motivation is financial gain, the integrity of these efforts is called into question.

Now, as the Trump administration and other forces actively dismantle DEI protections—including removing the explicit ban on segregated facilities in federal contracts—we are witnessing a direct attack on decades of civil rights progress. In response, many white-led nonprofits have expressed outrage.

But we must ask, is this outrage rooted in true solidarity with marginalized communities, or is it simply fear of losing funding and public favor? The latter seems far more likely when DEI initiatives function more as financial instruments than as commitments to justice.

Let’s be clear, their concern is not about the people most impacted by these changes—it’s about their bottom line. If DEI is no longer a profitable investment, if BIPOC-led organizations are no longer the “cool kids” funders want to support, then suddenly, we’re no longer worth fighting for.

This mirrors historical patterns where economic interests have always outweighed social progress. Just as slavery was driven by profit, just as Jim Crow was about maintaining economic and social control, today’s modern corporate driven DEI efforts have been more about capital than community.

When the profitability of these initiatives is threatened, so is their so-called commitment to diversity and inclusion. And that reveals the truth, without a genuine commitment to equity, DEI becomes little more than a performative act that serves those in power rather than those in need.

So, here’s where we stand, we are not backing down!

At SDLEA, we don’t do this work because it’s trendy, or because it gets us into the right rooms. We do this for our people, for ourselves, and for each other. We understand that staying true to DEI—the real, deep, uncomfortable work of dismantling systemic racism—might cost us funding. It might mean we’re no longer the nonprofit that funders spotlight in their annual reports.

And that’s fine. Because we never did this for them anyway.

We are in this for the long haul, with or without the dollars attached. Our liberation, our equity, our humanity are not up for negotiation.