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Walmart is the largest company to roll back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies


Walmart is the largest company to roll back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies

NEW YORK (AP) — Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is rolling back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, joining a growing list of major companies that have done the same after coming under attack from conservative activists.

The changes Walmart confirmed Monday are wide-ranging and include everything from not renewing a five-year commitment to a racial justice center founded in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd to withdrawing from a prominent gay rights index. And when it comes to race or gender, Walmart will not prioritize suppliers.

Walmart’s moves underscore the increasing pressures facing corporate America as they continue to grapple with the fallout from the June 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling ending affirmative action in college admissions. Emboldened by this decision, conservative groups have filed lawsuits against companies using similar arguments, focusing on workplace initiatives such as diversity programs and hiring practices that prioritize historically marginalized groups.

Separately, conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck has tracked companies’ DEI policies and criticized individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of these companies have subsequently announced that they are withdrawing their initiatives, including Ford, Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply.

But Walmart, which employs 1.6 million workers in the U.S., is the largest corporation to do so.

“This is the biggest victory yet for our movement to end wokeism in corporate America,” Starbuck wrote on X, adding that he had been in discussions 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 aimed at minors. These would include chest binders intended for adolescents undergoing gender reassignment surgery, the company said.

The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer will also review grants for Pride events to ensure it does not financially support sexualized content that may be inappropriate for children. For example, the company said it wants to ensure that a family pavilion is not next to a drag show at a Pride event.

Additionally, Walmart will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test for improving diversity when offering supplier contracts. The company said it does not have quotas and will not do so in the future. No demographic information is collected in determining funding eligibility for these grants.

Walmart also said it would not renew a Center for Racial Justice that was established through a five-year, $100 million philanthropic commitment from the company with a mission to “address the root causes of Black outcomes gaps,” according to its website. . and African Americans in education, health, finance and criminal justice.”

And it would no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index, which measures workplace inclusion of LGBTQ+ employees.

“We have been on a journey and know we are not perfect, but every decision is based on the desire to foster a sense of belonging, open doors for all of our employees, customers and suppliers, and be a Walmart for everyone,” the company said in a statement.

The changes come shortly after an election victory for former President Donald Trump, who criticized DEI initiatives and surrounded himself with conservatives who espoused similar views, including his former adviser Stephen Miller, who leads a group called America First Legal that promotes DEI. Has questioned company policies. Trump named Miller deputy policy chief in his new administration.

A Walmart spokesperson said some of its policy changes have been underway for some time. For example, people have moved away from using the word DEI in job titles and communications and started using the word “belonging.” Following the Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action, the company also began making changes to its supplier program.

Some have called on companies to stick to their DEI policies. Last month, a group of Democrats in Congress appealed to Fortune 1000 executives, saying DEI efforts give everyone a fair chance to achieve the American dream.

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