Companies Rolling Back On DEI

By keely Aouga 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is like the studio album, "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill" — critically acclaimed by some, misunderstood by others.

Whether celebrated or criticized, DEI has become one of the most polarizing issues in corporate America.

Scaling back on DEI disproportionately impacts the Black community. Here are a list of companies rolling back on their programs.

Meta (formerly Facebook)

Meta disbanded its DEI team and canceled key equity-focused programs as part of significant workforce reductions in 2023 and 2024.

McDonald's

McDonald's discontinued its supplier diversity training programs and removed diversity goals for senior leadership positions. 

Disney

According to Forbes, Disney responded to some backlash from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis by scaling back some of its DEI initiatives.

Walmart

Walmart has eliminated the use of race and gender as factors when awarding supplier contracts, marking a step back from its earlier DEI initiatives.

Target

Target has significantly rolled back its DEI initiatives, including reducing diversity-focused training and altering its supplier diversity goals.

Boeing

Boeing dissolved its DEI department amid workforce cuts, signaling a significant shift away from its previous commitments to diversity and inclusion.

Simultaneously, there are a number of companies doubling down on DEI, such as Apple, Microsoft and Ben & Jerry's.

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