Slashing of DEI programs and federal funds for Black History Month programs

I’m abuzz with excitement about this blog.

Over the past few weeks since I last wrote, a flood of news has hit all of us ---- the slashing of DEI programs and federal funds for Black History Month programs and a slew of executive orders that are closing up or reducing federal departments and agencies, and this is just a snippet of what has occurred in Trump’s first few weeks in office.

When I first began the blog, I told several friends and family about it, so as you might imagine, I’ve received dozens of links that pertain to the companies that have done away with DEI programs. I also have links to the companies that purportedly are keeping their DEI programs and those who are “hesitating.” My purpose in this post is to focus on the DEI issue. I have checked on a few sources to affirm or disconfirm the information I’ve received and am happy to share these lists with you.

But first, I have a few thoughts to share about the attacks on DEI programs.

THE RECENT WAVE OF DISAPPEARING DEI PROGRAMS

In hearing that so many companies have closed their DEI offices and programs --- seemingly in a very short time span, I think it’s important to note that their leaders apparently didn’t have their hearts in these programs to begin with. Strong organizational leaders do not create an individual office unless it is instrumental to the soul of the organization, to its core mission. Stated another way, strong leaders don’t just lob off a program in the span of a week. If they do, they must believe that the decision will not affect the bottom line. Hence, the need for economic boycotts.

Two, strong leadership relies on data to determine if the objectives of any of its organizational offices are being met. Are the DEI goals of the organization being met, and if they are, do the leaders care that their inclusive work force may have strong concerns about the timing of the decision to end the programs instrumental in their hiring? If these workforce isn’t, then the objectives of hiring can be held in suspect. In short, adding “color” to a workforce defeats the spirit of the movements that gave birth to these programs.

Three, from the groundswell of links I’ve received over these past few weeks, I’ve learned that these lists of “pro-DEI” companies are not necessarily ones that embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion. (And maybe getting rid of them is a way that the leaders respond to their failure to accomplish the goals they felt they had to set, again a symptom of very poor leadership). One of links I received included an attachment of companies reportedly maintaining their DEI programs and there were several comments included from people who showed surprise at certain businesses included on the list. Some spoke firsthand of the frequent reports of discrimination, or that the company has a record of poor labor practices.

Economic boycotting is not perfect and I would agree that I may be getting too much in the weeds as I critique these companies. We may need to begin by first avoiding the companies that have recently and very quickly cut these programs. Their decisions reflect their leanings toward the racist sentiments of the new president. We should respond by not giving our money to the companies whose leaders who show support for these sentiments.

However, as we move from these businesses and toward those that appear not to be swayed by the racism, let’s think about what it is was DO want from the organizations we patronize.

I’ll add this matter in one or more future posts, but for now, let’s think about what we deserve. For example, we deserve to have leaders who show that the more visible indicators of racial/ethnic diversity, like Black people in ads, are only tips of the iceberg. From the organizations whose products we buy and whose services we see, we expect them to recognize that there are tried-and-true ways to hire Black and other people of color at all echelons of an organizations.

The leaders hire experts to help them fulfill this mission as an integral part of the organization. They avoid language like “competence” or “qualified” when talking specifically about potential hires of color ----- and words that do not use in reference to White potential hires. They ensure that every unit with the organization works interactively with their DEI office, and that no employee in the organization, regardless of race, feeds into an environment in which people of color feel discriminated. They respect

the spectrum of human diversity and embrace it as vital to the success of an organization that serves or better aims to serve this spectrum.

More to come.

BUSINESSES TO AVOID AND THE ONES TO PATRONIZE

Back to my findings. Based on corroborating evidence, these are the companies that I’ve learned that have cut their DEI programs include the following (in alphabetical order):

Amazon

Brown-Forman (Jack Daniels)

Coors Light

John Deere

JPMorgan Chase

Harley Davidson

Lowe’s

McDonald’s

Meta/FaceBook

Morgan Stanley

Target

Toyota

Walnart

A note: when you are deciding to divert from a particular company and are having a difficult time finding an alternative, consider when pursuing “old school” options. For example, I am looking into Skype as an alternative to Zoom, the latter of which I have heard may be getting rid of their program., If I learn that Zoom and the other alternatives have all folded their program(s), then I may just elect to go back to conference calls.

I have learned about several companies whose leaders supposedly have maintained and/or embrace their DEI programs or objectives. I am not as confident about the veracity of this list, but do keep an eye out. If you have the time, check out the company website or give them a call.

Airbnb, American Express, Apple, Ben & Jerry’s, BR/Gap, Costco, Delta, Disney, Dollar Tree, Elf, Etsy, Fenty, GoToFoods, Levi’s Macy’s, Microsoft, Nasdaq, Nike, Old Navy, Pinterest, Puma, Dollar Tree, Walgreens, Webmans, Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, Adidas, Wegmans, Ulta, United, Pinterest, Uber, Wegmans.

I will continue to make modifications as the information comes in.

I have received several notices about collective movements to boycotting. Please refer to our Boycott page for this information.

Happy Boycotting.