What Florida, Kentucky, Ohio and These DIY Graduations Are Really Telling Us

The end of DEI doesn’t mean the end of identity. It means your audience is getting louder without you.

Across the country, states like Florida, Ohio and Kentucky (to name a few) are dismantling DEI programs in public institutions, and students are responding in the most powerful way possible: by doing it themselves. 

Recent stories from Inside Higher Ed, Campus Reform and the Louisville Courier Journal confirm what we already know: Black, LGBTQ+ and other historically excluded students are not waiting for permission to be seen. They're holding their own graduation ceremonies on their terms, in their language and with the community that got them across the finish line. Call it what you want, Lavender Graduation, Black Commencement, Cultural Celebration but the takeaway is the same: these ceremonies are intentional, emotional and absolutely necessary. 

Let’s break it down. 

This Isn’t About Optics. It’s About Ownership. 

For years, DEI was the glossy section in your annual report. Now it’s becoming a banned acronym. But strip away the politics and performative backlash, and here’s what remains: people still want space to celebrate who they are. If the institution won’t make room, they’ll build their own stage. 

At TSPRG, we know what happens when brands stay silent in moments like this. You lose trust. You lose connection. Most importantly, you lose culture. 

Students Are Not Just Students. They’re Storytellers, Shapers and Stakeholders. 

Let’s be clear, these are the people you’ll be hiring, marketing to or hoping to engage next year. If your internal or external messaging doesn’t reflect their values, their lived experiences or their need to be represented… why should they listen to you? 

What we’re seeing isn’t rebellion. It’s redirection. Today’s students are drawing their own boundaries, centering joy and rewriting what celebration looks like. They’re reminding us that representation isn’t a favor, it’s a right. 

So, What Should Brands, Schools and Leaders Actually Be Doing Right Now? 

Listen before you speak.  

Audit your silence. What message are you sending by not acknowledging these cultural shifts? 

Build with, not for. Center the communities you’re speaking to in your strategy from ideation to execution. 

Bottom Line:

The fall of DEI policies doesn’t mean your brand gets a free pass to disengage. It means your responsibility just got more personal and more public. 

Need help navigating the nuance? That’s what we do. At The Saunders PR Group, we help brands show up and speak up especially when the conversation gets uncomfortable. 

Let’s build better together.

Contact us at info@thesaundersprgroup.com or visit www.thesaundersprgroup.com to get started.