Following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020, protests erupted across the nation. As millions of Americans took to the streets to protest police brutality and black squares flooded Instagram, corporations scrambled to declare their dedication to fighting racial injustices and integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion programs throughout their company policies.
Four and half years later, many of those same corporations that pledged their unwavering commitment to creating a safer work culture and fairer opportunities for the Black community have begun to quietly roll back many of their initiatives. On Monday, Walmart followed suit, and confirmed it would be retreating on DEI programs targeted by conservative groups.
The world’s largest retailer will not be renewing a racial equity center it created shortly after Floyd’s murder and will no longer be taking part in an annual benchmark index from LGBTQ+ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign. Walmart will also no longer consider race and gender to improve diversity when granting supplier contracts.
The roll backs were made public after right-wing influencer Robby Starbuck posted a viral social media video where he said that he had threatened Walmart with a boycott days before Black Friday, one of the holiday’s most lucrative retail events.
Starbuck, a former music video producer and director, ran an unsuccessful bid for Congress in 2022, but was removed from Tennessee’s Republican primary ballot after failing to meet the qualification requirements for candidates. He posts frequently about gender identity and was accused earlier this year of tricking members and allies of the LGBTQ community into participating in a documentary he co-hosted.
In the wake of last year’s Supreme Court ruling ending affirmative action in college admissions, DEI has turned into the far-right’s booegyman. Starbuck has used X as a platform to pressure companies to abandon diversity goals. Among major companies who have caved to conservative pressure and confirmed cuts to DEI initiatives are Ford, Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, and Tractor Supply.
“We’ve been on a journey and know we aren’t perfect, but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers and suppliers and to be a Walmart for everyone,” Walmart said in a statement to the Associated Press following it decision.
News of Walmart as the latest retail giant to buckle comes as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to be sworn into office in January. Trump has wasted no time in tapping loyalists to staff the White House and his cabinet. Several of his closest allies are DEI critics including billionaire Elon Musk, who has reposted Starbuck’s X attacks, and Stephen Miller, Trump’s pick for White House deputy chief of staff for policy, who has filed numerous lawsuits against companies with diversity initiatives and has claimed they led to discrimination against White men.
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