Walmart rolls back DEI programs after far-right backlash

new York
CNN
—

Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States, will limit some diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. It is the latest company to back away from diversity initiatives amid pressure from the right.

The company announced Monday that it is ending racial equity training programs for its employees and is evaluating programs to increase supplier diversity. Walmart has worked in recent years to increase the number of suppliers that are at least 51% owned or operated by a woman, minority, veteran or LGBTQ person.

The company also reviews all funding for Pride and other events and monitors its online marketplace to remove sex or transgender products marketed to children. Walmart also said it would not renew its Center for Racial Equity, a five-year, $100 million philanthropic commitment the company made in 2020 to address the root causes of the gaps in African American outcomes in education, health, criminal justice and other areas.

“We are ready to transform alongside our associates and customers who represent all of America,” Walmart said in a statement. “We have been on a journey and we know we are not perfect, but every decision comes from a desire to foster a sense of belonging.”

Activist Robby Starbuck, who has led a pressure campaign against companies for diversity programs, took credit for many of the changes and said he had contacted the company about its policies.

“This is the biggest victory for our movement yet,” Starbuck said on the social media platform X.

Starbuck, a former Hollywood music video director turned conservative activist, has launched online campaigns against major companies’ DEI programs and other progressive initiatives.

Walmart joins Harley-Davidson, Tractor Supply Co., John Deere and other companies in revising or rolling back their DEI programs, supporting Pride marches and LGBTQ events, strategies to slow climate change and other social actions.