ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
This week, Walmart became the latest big company to pull back on initiatives promoting DEI. That stands for diversity, equity and inclusion. Some conservative groups argue that DEI policies are themselves discriminatory and are pressuring corporations to drop them. Ford, John Deere and Lowe's are among the companies that gave in to that pressure this year. Reporter Stephan Bisaha from the Gulf States Newsroom is here with more on the trend. Hey there.
STEPHAN BISAHA, BYLINE: Hey. Good to be with you.
SHAPIRO: Just start with Walmart. What does the company say it's no longer going to do?
BISAHA: Well, Walmart confirmed to us that it was making these widespread changes to its DEI policies. And in a statement, they said they're willing to change along with their customers and want to foster a sense of belonging. Now, to be clear, it's not like Walmart is removing protections from discrimination for its employees. That's federal law. So this is less about hiring and more about outward policies.
So, for example, Walmart will be monitoring its own website to make sure third-party sellers are not marketing transgender products to kids. They'll no longer be giving preference to suppliers based on gender and race, and it will no longer be supporting its Center for Racial Equity. That was created in 2020, shortly after the death of George Floyd. Walmart provided $100 million in grants for the center, and it was funded for five years, but Walmart is no longer going to renew it.
SHAPIRO: Your reference to George Floyd and the year 2020 is a reminder of just how much corporations like Walmart invested in and spoke in favor of DEI after that wave of protests. What's changed since then?
BISAHA: Well, the big one was the Supreme Court's decision last year to stop affirmative action in college admissions. That did not affect companies directly, but corporations like Lowe's are worried it could lead to legal challenges, so they pulled back on their DEI policies. Andre Perry is with the Brookings Institution. He says companies that are in favor of DEI policies are just scared.
ANDRE PERRY: There's also real fear that companies will face a backlash from the federal government because we have many politicians who are railing against DEI.
SHAPIRO: I know there's conservative lawmakers who are pushing against DEI. There's also been pressure from conservative activists. So who's behind these corporate pullbacks?
BISAHA: Well, the big name to know is Robby Starbuck. He describes himself as a conservative activist and filmmaker, and he's been leading these campaigns against corporations with DEI policies. He says that's led to changes at 20 companies, from Harley-Davidson to Boeing. He was planning on going after Walmart for being - as he called them - woke, and that led to Walmart actually reaching out to him. And they end up implementing the changes that he asked for. And Starbuck spoke with me earlier today, and he says he'll keep pushing to strip DEI out of corporate America.
ROBBY STARBUCK: The reality is I probably have another year - would be my guess - of going through companies one by one, where we decimate it so much and demoralize the ideology behind it so much that it simply is just on its deathbed, and there's no work left to be done.
SHAPIRO: What about pressure in the other direction? Are people pushing companies to keep DEI policies and maybe even expand them?
BISAHA: Well, there are some civil rights groups that are doing that - are putting on the pressure. But, you know, they say - a lot of proponents say that they're nervous right now about the future. And it's not like Walmart is being punished financially for this, at least by its shareholders. Walmart's stock went up about 2.5% since the news broke.
SHAPIRO: All right. That is Gulf State's Newsroom's Stephan Bisaha. Thanks for your reporting.
BISAHA: Yeah, thanks for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.