You Are Not the Only One in the Room

By Dr. Kirk Adams
Executive Director, Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion (ISDI)
www.i4sdi.org

You Are Not the Only One in the Room

In February, during the State of the Union Address, Donald Trump declared, “We have put an end to DEI.”

That sentence landed heavily for many people.

For some, it felt like a victory lap.
For others—especially those doing the daily, disciplined work of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility—it felt like a warning shot.

But here’s the truth: you cannot “end” the work of building fair systems, expanding opportunity, or creating workplaces where people can thrive. That work is bigger than any speech. Bigger than any administration. Bigger than any news cycle.

And yet…

Across the country, DEIA champions are feeling something very real:

Isolation.

Many feel like the only one in the room.
The only one asking hard questions.
The only one pushing for equitable hiring.
The only one trying to interpret rapidly shifting policies.
The only one absorbing political pressure from every direction.

That isolation is not accidental. It is strategic. When people feel alone, they get quieter. When they get quieter, progress slows.

That is exactly why we are building something different.

A New Infrastructure for Collective Power

This summer, the Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion (ISDI) will launch the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion.

Here is the core promise:

The Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion will help members move from reactive, isolated survival mode to strategic, sustainable, collective power.

This will not be another listserv.
Not another webinar series.
Not another performative pledge.

It will be a membership-based coalition designed to solve real problems faced by the DEIA community.

With tailored membership pathways for:

• Students preparing to enter the workforce
• Individual DEIA champions and practitioners
• Nonprofits navigating funding and compliance pressures
• Small businesses building inclusive cultures from the ground up
• Large corporations managing risk, reputation, and long-term strategy

And we will invite founding members to help co-create it from day one.

The Problem: Isolation and Lack of Community

Right now, many DEI leaders operate in silos.

An HR director in a mid-sized company may not know how peers are navigating new state-level legislation.
A nonprofit executive may feel pressure from funders but have no confidential space to process strategy.
A corporate accessibility lead may be the only disability advocate in their entire enterprise.

Isolation creates three risks:

1. Emotional exhaustion
2. Strategic inconsistency
3. Retreat from bold, necessary action

When people feel alone, they default to risk avoidance.

The Coalition exists to change that.

The Solution: Cross-Sector Communities of Practice

The heart of the Coalition will be cross-sector communities of practice.

These will not be passive networking groups. They will be structured, facilitated, problem-solving communities where members:

• Share live challenges
• Translate policy changes into practical guidance
• Exchange tools and templates
• Stress-test ideas before rolling them out
• Co-develop strategies grounded in compliance and impact

What Might These Communities Look Like?

Here are a few examples of what founding members may help design:

1. Corporate DEIA Risk & Strategy Roundtable
   Senior leaders from major companies meeting monthly to discuss legal shifts, board-level messaging, and ROI framing strategies.
2. Nonprofit Sustainability Lab
   Executive directors and development leaders co-creating funding models that protect mission while navigating political scrutiny.
3. Accessibility & Disability Inclusion Forum
   Cross-industry practitioners advancing digital accessibility, workplace accommodations, and 508 compliance in practical, scalable ways.
4. Emerging Leaders Circle (Students & Early Career)
   Mentorship-driven spaces pairing seasoned DEIA executives with the next generation of change-makers.
5. Small Business Inclusion Builders
   Entrepreneurs sharing policies, hiring pipelines, and culture-building tools designed for lean teams.

These communities will be co-created. Members will help define structure, cadence, confidentiality norms, and deliverables. We are not imposing a finished model—we are building shared infrastructure.

This Is a Proactive Response

When national leaders declare DEI “over,” some institutions retreat.

We are choosing another path.

We are building durable systems.

We are investing in community.

We are strengthening the connective tissue across sectors.

Attacks on DEIA often rely on fragmentation—convincing each organization it stands alone.

The Coalition is the opposite of fragmentation.

It is shared strategy.
Shared learning.
Shared resilience.

And most importantly: shared power.

Why Become a Founding Member?

We will officially launch the Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion in summer 2026.

Before that, we will:

• Select the membership platform
• Host listening sessions
• Invite founding members to shape governance and benefit tiers
• Pilot early communities of practice
• Design tiered membership menus aligned with real-world needs

If you care about the future of DEIA—whether as a student, practitioner, executive, nonprofit leader, or business owner—this is your moment to get involved early.

Subscribe to ISDI’s email announcements at www.i4sdi.org so you can:

• Receive invitations to founding member sessions
• Help design communities of practice
• Shape membership benefits
• Be first to join when the Coalition launches

And follow ISDI across social media platforms to stay connected as this movement takes shape.

The Moment Is Now

The question is not whether DEIA will continue.

The question is whether it will be isolated and fragile…
or coordinated and durable.

The Community Coalition for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion is our answer.

If you have ever felt like the only one in the room—
you won’t be for long.

Join the email list.
Follow the journey.
Help us build the infrastructure that ensures this work not only survives—but evolves, strengthens, and leads.

We are not retreating.

We are organizing.

We can’t wait to see you at the next workshop.
Until then, please share this post with anyone you think would be interested.

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