- Walmart is pulling back its DEI programs amid backlash from a conservative activist.
- Robby Starbuck has led social media campaigns against companies for their DEI practices.
- Other companies that withdrew or toned down their DEI initiatives include Lowe’s and Ford.
Walmart is the latest company to roll back its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives amid backlash following a pressure campaign from a conservative activist.
Many of these campaigns have been led by Robby Starbuck, a prominent conservative activist with a sizable social media following. He argues that these initiatives do not align with the values of companies’ largely conservative consumer bases.
The move away from DEI policies is part of an ongoing wave of backlash against diversity programs at American companies. Tech companies such as Microsoft, Meta, and Zoom cut DEI programs this year, Business Insider reported in July, and law firms, including Winston & Strawn, faced lawsuits for affirmative action.
While activists like Starbuck are loudly criticizing companies and other groups, 61% of Americans support DEI practices, according to a Washington Post-Ipsos poll in April.
The Human Rights Campaign slammed companies’ DEI rollbacks in an August statement to BI.
“Decisions to cut DEI initiatives send a clear signal to employees that their employers simply don’t care about equality in the workplace. Putting politics ahead of workers and consumers only hurts the same folks that these businesses rely on,” wrote Eric Bloem, the nonprofit group’s vice president of programs and corporate advocacy.
Here are how some companies have cut their DEI programs.
