DIVERSITY
Walmart Rolling Back DEI Shows Why a Company Makes a Poor Ally
The values of a company may shift to appeal to consumers, making it an unreliable vehicle for positive social change
Low prices are not the only thing Walmart is rolling back the week before Black Friday, the day marking the beginning of the busiest shopping season. On Monday, the company announced its plan to roll back its diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Conservative activist Robby Starbuck bragged, "This is the biggest win yet for our movement to end wokeness in corporate America," after learning of Walmart's decision. His response highlights how the term "woke" has become a pejorative term for those opposing diversity programs. As the largest company to roll back DEI programs, Walmart's announcement exposes why a company typically makes a poor ally to marginalized groups.
"Walmart will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts." This may result in fewer products by black-owned companies on the shelves, as the company will no longer consider the race of distributors. Furthermore, the supercenter will not be renewing "a racial equity center," previously "established through a five-year $100 million philanthropic…
