Philly companies navigate DEI backlash | Morning Newsletter
📍 And settling the neighborhood names debate.
The Morning Newsletter
Start your day with the Philly news you need and the stories you want all in one easy-to-read newsletter
Hi, Philly. Nearly a quarter-million households in the region lost power during the weekend’s wind storm. As for this week, the threat of snow may not be as strong as expected.
In 2020, corporate America made sweeping pronouncements about its commitment to racial equity. Now, companies are navigating a political backlash to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.
And the results are in for our reader poll on whether LoMo, Newbold, B3, and others are real neighborhoods. Plus, Phillies season is upon us, complete with 18 theme nights in 2025.
— Julie Zeglen ([email protected])
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President Donald Trump signed executive orders to end DEI in the federal government soon after taking office in January, framing such policies as undermining “traditional American values.” He also took aim at the private sector, directing federal regulators to discourage “illegal discrimination” there.
Experts caution that federal law hasn’t changed for private-sector employers, and Trump’s orders do not specify what makes a DEI program illegal. Still, Philly corporations are left scrambling to navigate the new orders.
The backlash may have hit Center City-based Comcast the hardest, as it faces a federal investigation over its policies. Other companies seem to be trying to avoid scrutiny, including Conshohocken drug distributor Cencora, which removed mention of DEI efforts from its website.
It’s a sharp diversion from 2020, when corporations and other institutions emphasized their commitment to racial equity in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder.
Business reporter Andrew Seidman has the story on corporate America’s response to attacks on DEI.
In other federal policy news:
The Trump administration has begun firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration employees, just weeks after the fatal mid-air collision in D.C.
Activists in Philadelphia and Bucks County spent Presidents’ Day rallying against Trump and Elon Musk’s attempted overhaul of the federal government. The local protests coincided with other demonstrations nationwide.
In a city of neighborhoods, not all names are created equal.
📍 The Inquirer’s interactives team put forth a poll last month to see whether Philadelphians agree about what a dozen areas of the city should really be called. Does anyone besides real estate developers really say “Newbold,” for instance?
📍 As it turns out, yes — 22% voted that it’s the proper name for the neighborhood between Washington and Passyunk Avenues and Broad and 18th Streets. Meanwhile, 55% said absolutely not.
How did your picks compare? See the results of our survey of a dozen dubious names.
What you should know today
A dozen neighbors worked desperately to free a beloved Crescentville woman from her car after a large tree crushed it on Sunday. She died at the scene.
A 16-year-old arrested last fall in the killing of West Philadelphia rapper and gang member Abdul Vicks has been charged with two more homicides.
A former Chester Heights woman who is tied to a cultlike group called the “Zizians” and is wanted for questioning in connection with her parents’ 2022 slaying in Delaware County was arrested for trespassing in Maryland, police said.
The family and friends of Steven Dreuitt Jr., who died when his car was engulfed in flames in the Northeast Philly plane crash, gathered Monday to celebrate his life.
City aging officials took months to get a Northeast Philadelphia woman help. She’s one of 1,511 older adults who died in the state in 2023 with open abuse and neglect investigations.
Former workers of a Doylestown-based dementia nonprofit allege their ex-boss bugged their offices with listening devices without their knowledge.
Philly District Attorney Larry Krasner will launch his campaign for a third term Tuesday, framing his bid as a continuation of his progressive criminal-justice policies.
With the triumphant end of Eagles season comes the hope for a championship win from another Philadelphia sports team.
Maybe just as anticipated? Discounted hot dogs.
Alas, Dollar Dog Night remains dead and gone. But $5 BOGO Dog Night returns — this year, during the same game when health-care workers can get an exclusive Phillies scrub top. Nurses Night comes soon after Teacher Appreciation Night (free mugs for educators!) followed by Citizens Weather Education Day, and not long before Salute to Service Night.
That’s just a sample of the 18 theme nights of the coming baseball season. Read the details on them all.
🧠 Trivia time
Wonder, a billion-dollar restaurant idea, is planning 10 food halls and delivery hubs in the Philly area. Which is not one of the company’s planned locations?
A) West Chester
B) Fishtown
C) Mount Laurel
D) University City
Think you know? Check your answer.
What we’re...
🎨 Eyeing: The plans to “re-imagine” South Broad Street’s iconic Hamilton Hall.
💰 Loving: That this exchange between Rob McElhenney and Jalyx Hunt led to a charitable surge.
🏙️ Amused by: This report on New Yorkers finally realizing Philly is better.
🥊 Considering: The urgency of saving Joe Frazier’s Gym on North Broad Street.
🧩 Unscramble the anagram
Hint: The _ _ returns to the Mann Center on May 31 and June 1
SPOON CRITIC
Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Gerry DiPersia, who solved Monday’s anagram: Nelson Pérez. The archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia penned an Inquirer op-ed outlining his vision for better engaging the million-plus Catholics in the region.
Photo of the day
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