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Photo: iStock.com/Drazen Zigic
Retail giant Target has become the latest major company to retreat on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) measures.
According to the New York Times, the company announced on January 24 that it will conclude its DEI goals and will no longer participate in external diversity-focused surveys, including sharing data with the Human Rights Campaign, a nonprofit group that tracks corporate lesbian, gay, bisexual and queer (LGBTQ) policies.
“As a retailer that serves millions of consumers every day, we understand the importance of staying in step with the evolving external landscape,” wrote Kiera Fernandez, chief community impact and equity officer for Target, in a memo. The memo went on to announce the conclusion of the company's three-year diversity, equity and inclusion goals, as well as its Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH) initiatives in 2025, "as planned."
Target is the latest of large retailers and manufacturers to walk back from diversity commitments and policies, as President Donald Trump has already begun to fight DEI in the federal government and beyond.
In 2024, Tractor Supply, John Deere and Harley-Davidson ditched DEI programs, in part in response to threats of boycotts led by the conservative activist Robby Starbuck. More recently, other companies have rolled back diversity programs too, including Meta, Walmart and Amazon.
Some major companies, however, have pushed back on the trend. JPMorgan’s chief executive, Jamie Dimon, announced on January 24 that the U.S.’s largest bank by assets does not intend to back down on diversity. Discount retailer Costco, too, on January 23 reported that its shareholders had rejected a proposal brought by a conservative group that would have required the company to report the risks of its D.E.I. policies.
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