Days after President Trump had ordered Federal Agencies to investigate entities from the private sector on 'illegal' diversity, equality and inclusion programs, Target has become the newest large company that withdraws to Dei
Target announced on Friday that it will complete its Dei objectives and will no longer participate in external, diversity-focused studies, including sharing data with the Human Rights Campaign, a non-profit organization that follows the LGBTQ policy of companies.
“As a retailer who serves millions of consumers every day, we understand how important it is to keep pace with the evolving external landscape,” wrote Kiera Fernandez, Chief Community Impact and Equity Officer for Target, in a memo.
Target agrees with a fast -growing group of companies that drop diversity obligations and policy, now that Mr Trump makes it clear that he is planning to fight dei, within the federal government and beyond. Last summer, Tractor Supply, John Deere and Harley-Davidson dumped dei programs, partly in response to threats with boycots led by conservative activist Robby Starbuck. More recently, other companies have also reversed diversity programs, including Meta, Walmart and Amazon.
JPMorgan, measured by assets The largest bank in the country, has so far chosen a different course, with CEO Jamie Dimon announcing this week that the bank does not intend to reduce diversity. “Let them come,” he said in an interview with CNBC, referring to the activists who took action against the dei programs of the bank. Costco also fought against changes. On Thursday, the shareholders rejected a proposal from a conservative group that the company would have obliged to report the risks of his dei policy.
After the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020, when many companies made commitments to combat racial injustice, the CEO of Target, Brian Cornell, reacted emotionally and promised to spend two billion dollars to companies in black hands by 2025.
“I remember gathering my black officers just after the murder of George Floyd,” Mr. Cornell said on CBS News. “Those team members had tears in their eyes and they told me what consequences this had for them and their families.”
Target, which has its head office in Minneapolis, has had a hard time on the market. A weak winning report in November ensured that investors fled.
