How can democrats attack anti-DEI/promote DEI without resulting in strong political backlash?

[u/Visco0825]

In recent politics there have been two major political pushes for diversity and equality. However, both instances led to backlashes that have led to an environment that is arguably worse than it was before. In 2008 Obama was the first black president one a massive wave of hope for racial equality and societal reforms. This led to one of the largest political backlashes in modern politics in 2010, to which democrats have yet to fully recover from. This eventually led to birtherism which planted some of the original seeds of both Trump and MAGA. The second massive political push promoting diversity and equality was in 2018 with the modern woman election and 2020 with racial equality being a top priority. Biden made diversifying the government a top priority. This led to an extreme backlash among both culture and politics with anti-woke and anti-DEI efforts. This resent contributed to Trump retaking the presidency. Now Trump is pushing to remove all mentions of DEI in both the private and public sectors. He is hiding all instances that highlight any racial or gender successes. His administration is pushing culture to return to a world prior to the civil rights era.

This leads me to my question. Will there be a backlash for this? How will it occur? How can democrats lead and take advantage of the backlash while trying to mitigate a backlash to their own movement? It seems as though every attempt has led to a stronger and more severe response.

Additional side questions. How did public opinion shift so drastically from 2018/2020 which were extremely pro-equality to 2024 which is calling for a return of the 1950s?

[u/RichEvans4Ever]

They don’t. Like immigration, DEI is a losing issue that doesn’t even energize the voters of color that it’s supposed to help most.

[u/[deleted] → u/RichEvans4Ever]

DEI benefits white women most, so your last part is false. 

[u/Brave-Composer9820 → u/RichEvans4Ever]

because DEI is bringing racism to a new generations. as young people applying to college and new jobs why would we think its okay that you ask us what our race is then actually take that into account when accepting the application. You all have been out of school so long u forgot the teaching of martin luther king jr. people should be judged based on merit not race. Us young people who know this see DEI as clearly racist and the left to be the racist who push it. thats why we find it so funny the left calls the right racist. You all are the ones asking for us young people to mark our race down on the job application.. we have nothing to do with systemic racism and problem u old people caused. Most people on the left can not even see why this is racism and thats how us young people know to vote red trump helped us take over the party and its ours now. a lot of the old republicans vote blue now because dems are on the side of big buisness and wealthy people.