Walmart the latest big corporation to scale back DEI policies after pressure from conservative activists
Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is rolling back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, joining a growing number of major companies doing the same after coming under attack from conservative activists.
Walmart confirmed Monday that the changes are sweeping and include not renewing the five-year commitment of the Center for Equality on Race, which was established in 2020. Police killing of George Floyd Quit a prominent gay rights index. Walmart does not prioritize suppliers when it comes to race or gender.
Walmart’s move underscores the growing pressure on U.S. businesses as they continue to grapple with the fallout from the U.S. economy Supreme Court decision in June 2023 End affirmative action in college admissions. Encouraged by the decision, conservative groups filed lawsuits making similar arguments against businesses, targeting workplace initiatives such as diversity programs and hiring practices that prioritize historically marginalized groups.
Separately, conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck has been focusing on corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on social media platform X. Several of the companies subsequently announced they would withdraw their initiatives, including Ford, Lowe’s, Tractor Supply and harley davidson.
But Walmart, with 1.6 million employees in the United States, is the largest.
“This is our biggest victory yet in our movement to end wokeness in corporate America,” Starbucks wrote on X, adding that he had been in dialogue with Walmart.
Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to ensure they do not contain sexual and transgender products targeted at minors. These include chest straps designed for young people undergoing gender transition, the company said.
The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer will also review funding of Pride events to ensure it is not financially supporting pornographic content that may not be suitable for children. For example, the company said it wants to ensure that home pavilions are not located next to drag shows at Pride events.
Additionally, Walmart will no longer consider race and gender as touchstones for improving diversity when offering supplier contracts. The company said it currently has no quotas and will not do so in the future. It does not collect demographic data when determining funding eligibility for these grants.
Walmart also said it would not renew the Center for Racial Equity, which was established through the company’s five-year, $100 million philanthropic commitment and whose mission, according to its website, is to “address the root causes of the outcome disparities experienced by Black people.” reason”. and African Americans in the education, health, financial, and criminal justice systems. ”
It will cease participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index, which measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees.
“We are always on the road, knowing we are not perfect, but every decision is driven by a desire to foster a sense of belonging, open doors of opportunity for all of our associates, customers and suppliers, and to be a part of Walmart for everyone ,” the company said in a statement.
The changes come shortly after the election victory of former President Donald Trump, who criticized DEI initiatives and was surrounded by conservatives with similar views, including his former adviser Stephen Miller, who led A group called America First Law, which challenges corporate DEI policies. Trump appointed Miller as deputy director for policy in the new administration.
A Walmart spokesman said some of its policy changes have been in the works for some time. For example, it has stopped using the word DEI in job titles and communications and has started using the word “attribution.” The company also began changing its supplier program in the wake of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling.
Some have been urging companies to stick to their DEI policies. Last month, a group of Democrats in Congress issued a call to Fortune 1000 leaders, saying DEI efforts give everyone a fair chance at achieving the American Dream.
