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President Trump's war on diversity, equity and inclusion is reaching far beyond the federal government. Many employers have ended their DEI programs. Universities and community groups have lost funding for equity-related work. But one small nonprofit is fighting back. NPR's Andrea Hsu reports from Chicago.
ANDREA HSU, BYLINE: Under a warm sun this fall, a raucous gathering.
(CHEERING)
HSU: Thousands of female construction workers joined a mile-long parade, celebrating gains they've made in an industry still dominated by men. The women carried banners proudly announcing their trades - plumbing, carpentry, painting, roofing.
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Chanting) The roof, the roof, make it waterproof.
HSU: And leading the parade was a drum line, a dozen or so women in fluorescent-yellow vests and hard hats. They are the staff of Chicago Women in Trades, a nonprofit established in the 1980s. Its mission is to promote equity by getting more women into good-paying union construction jobs. Seventy percent of its participants are Black and Latina.
(SOUNDBITE OF WHISTLES BLOWING)
HSU: So behind the celebration, there are grave concerns. Chicago Women in Trades has worked to recruit, train and place women in construction jobs since Ronald Reagan was president. Now, President Trump could bring its demise. Back in January, Trump signed a pair of executive orders cracking down on what he sees as widespread and illegal use of, quote, "dangerous, demeaning and immoral race- and sex-based preferences." He cut funding for DEI-related work and told government contractors and grantees to end programs promoting DEI. Chicago Women in Trades executive director is Jayne Vellinga.
JAYNE VELLINGA: We have an administration that is trying to turn back the clock on progress it has taken decades to achieve.
HSU: But her group is not letting that happen without a fight. Early this year, Chicago Women in Trades sued the government over Trump's executive orders, which threaten its very existence. The nonprofit relies heavily on federal grants, and more damaging may be the provision that requires contractors and grantees to certify that they're not promoting illegal DEI. They could face civil and criminal penalties if they report false information. Jayne Vellinga says that's caused great confusion.
VELLINGA: There's a lot of threats out there but no clarity about what actually is illegal DEI, and it is unclear how the industry or anyone is going to respond to it.
HSU: Already, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters disbanded its Sisters in the Brotherhood program. For decades, the program gave women carpenters a space to build networks and share ideas for how to overcome barriers. In a memo, the union's president wrote that current policies targeting identity-based initiatives put the program at legal risk. It's been replaced with a member engagement program open to all.
Now talk to female construction workers around Chicago, and you get a sense of how women-focused programs have changed lives. Kat Truty and Charlie Willoughby are second-year plumbing apprentices. They say Chicago Women in Trades is the reason why they have promising careers.
KAT TRUTY: I 100% believe...
CHARLIE WILLOUGHBY: Yes.
TRUTY: ...So yeah.
WILLOUGHBY: Yes. Yes.
HSU: They both came through the nonprofit's free 10-week program, where they got an introduction to the gamut of construction trades and acquired some basic skills such as measuring and blueprint reading.
TRUTY: We learned about tool safety, tool handling.
WILLOUGHBY: We had to work out, as well.
TRUTY: Every day, we worked out.
WILLOUGHBY: In the morning, we had to work.
HSU: Chicago Women in Trades partners with unions and contractors to ensure graduates like them a future in the industry. But if Trump's executive order stands, all of this could fall apart. Now because of the ongoing legal battle, Chicago Women in Trades has been able to hold onto some of its federal funding. And a lower court said, for now, labor department contractors and grantees don't have to certify that they're DEI-free. That the Trump administration has appealed. Jayne Vellinga says it's hard to imagine what the future will look like.
VELLINGA: We don't know what to think. I mean, we feel like we're in limbo.
HSU: What she finds so ironic is that even after decades of agitating, women still make up less than 5% of the skilled trades workforce nationwide.
VELLINGA: You cannot look at the workforce of the construction trades and say, oh, they've taken DEI too far.
HSU: She says you look at the workforce, and you see women have a long way to go.
Andrea Hsu, NPR News, Chicago. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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