The Intersection 2/8

Quick summary:

 Companies are rolling back their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives as they follow the elimination of it in the federal government, and activists and individuals are ready to respond. History teaches us there are strategic ways to go about it that work, but anyone engaged must be careful — and patient.

Credit: iStock

Hey, y’all, 

Rollbacks of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are at the forefront of of the national imagination since Donald Trump took office, particularly where women, people of color and the LGBTQ community are concerned. Although some firms are sticking to their DEI goals, the number of companies saying they are dumping their diversity programs  — essentially choosing sides in a war against people of color — is increasing, as well.Some major corporations have made headlines for cutting or altering DEI programs, including Meta, Walmart, Target, McDonald’s, Lowe’s, Toyota, Nissan, Boeing, and most recently, grocery chain Aldi. All have been synonymous with American consumerism for decades and most people have driven, eaten, engaged with, flown, or hammered and screwed one of these brands.This comes in the shadow of the DEI overhaul in the federal government in which the Trump administration is effectively attempting to erase the concept from the national memory, as Brandon Tensley writes in Capital B.

The term “boycott” began floating around the social media streets in the hours and days since Target announced its DEI rollback. Now, major civil rights activists call for Target to be the object of a massive boycott, according to the Associated Press.“We thought that they would hold the line. We thought that they would continue to stand for the values that we all hold dear,” activist and attorney Nekima Levy Armstrong told reporters at a news conference, the AP said. “But instead they acted cowardly, and they made the decision to bow down to the Trump administration.”Boycotting Can Work, But It Takes Standing on BusinessLeslie Taylor-Grover makes the point in PushBlack that such actions are an affront to Blackness because they attack the overall well-being of Black peopleA call for Black Americans — just 13% of the US population — and allies to stay away from stores like Target that notch more than $100 billion in annual sales may not bring those stores to their knees, but could still do some damage.In 2022, rapper Kanye West drew anger for making antisemitic comments. After Jewish activists, social media influencers and even some celebrities drew the line, Adidas took a step back from its collaboration with him, ultimately losing $1.3 billion.The most significant boycott by Black Americans was the famed Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led the nonviolent strike against the public transportation system in Montgomery, Ala., after Rosa Parks was arrested upon refusing to leave her seat at a white man’s demand.