Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is rolling back a number of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, multiple sources report.
The backtrack is wide-ranging and includes:
- A decision not to renew the operation of an equity racial center set up in 2020;
- Pulling out of the Human Rights Campaign’s LGBTQ+ rights index;
- No longer giving priority treatment to suppliers based on race or gender;
- Stopping the usage of the terms “DEI” and “LatinX” in its communications; and
- Removing all “sexual and/or transgender products marketed to children” on its third-party marketplace, such as chest binders.
The retailer joins a growing roster of prominent brands pulling back from progressive policies and causes, including Tractor Supply, John Deere, Target, Ford, Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and others. “We work hard to live up to our mission and values every day and represent the values of the communities and customers we serve,” said Tractor Supply, one of the first retailers to make such a move, in a July 2024 statement. “We have heard from customers that we have disappointed them. We have taken this feedback to heart.”
Conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been particularly vocal in advocating for these kinds of policy rollbacks, said Walmart’s decision represented the “biggest win yet for our movement to end wokeness in corporate America.”
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Groups supporting the recent advances in the representation and rights of historically underrepresented groups aren’t accepting this latest pendulum swing lying down. The Founder and President of the National Black Farmers Association, John Boyd Jr., spoke out against Tractor Supply’s decision, calling it “appalling,” and a collection of nearly 20 civil rights groups issued an open letter to Fortune 1000 businesses in September citing the financial risks of casting aside DEI initiatives.
“Abandoning DEI will have long-term consequences on business success — ultimately shirking fiduciary responsibility to employees, consumers and shareholders,” read the letter. “Businesses that fail to include women, people of color, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people neglect their financial duty to recruit and retain top talent from across the full talent pool and limit their company’s performance overall.”
