Raleigh holds annual DEI conference amid recent reckoning by UNC system

More than 1,300 people gathered at the Raleigh Convention Center on Tuesday for the city's annual Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity Conference .

The event, presented by the Triangle DEI Alliance and in conjunction with the Raleigh Chamber , brings together corporations large and small, business executives, and employees to workshop and discuss DEI initiatives.

"We serve people who look different from us...and so it's important that the company reflects the people that we serve," said Audrey Barbee, a Durham native and NCCU graduate working for pharmaceutical giant Merck.

Barbee said engaging with other employees and companies at forums like Tuesday's conference has been eye-opening -- and that the message has never been more timely.

"Sometimes our companies forget that we are human and we live human experiences at work. And so we're not just like robots at work. So it's important that we're able to have those conversations," Barbee said.

The annual event takes place amid a national reckoning over DEI initiatives, including in North Carolina where the UNC System recently repealed its DEI policy in a controversial vote this spring . The system's new policy mandates institutional neutrality on contentious issues and bars discrimination.

"There will be pushback. But we believe in the work that we're doing and we will continue to dedicate ourselves to it," said Dr. Torri Staton, VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity with the Raleigh Chamber.

Staton spearheaded Tuesday's conference and said the large turnout speaks to the commitment of Triangle companies and commerce to DEI initiatives.

"The number of people we have here today, and the interest in continuing with this conversation is a testament to this this area, the Triangle area, and how much we care about diversity, equity and inclusion work in the business community," she said.

The overarching conversation over DEI is a topic that political experts expect will be a frequent talking point on the campaign trail in North Carolina in the coming months.

"On the right, a lot of skepticism of this, of arguments that Democrats and liberals have gone too far with all sorts of DEI initiatives," said Steven Greene, political science professor at NCSU.

Greene said he expects Kamala Harris -- now the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for President -- to be the focus of some of that rhetoric.

"Part of that is going to be the fact that she's a Black woman and how that relates to the issues. And Republicans are already out with their talking point that she is a DEI candidate," Greene said.