NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson speaks at the 115th NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/David Becker, File)
By Matt Brown
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The NAACP wants Black Americans to steer their buying power toward companies that haven’t pulled back from diversity, equity and inclusion programs under conservative pressure, and the nation’s oldest civil rights organization is listing which brands have stood by — or reversed — past commitments to DEI.
The NAACP says the spending guide it published last Saturday is needed because DEI initiatives promote the social and economic advancement of Black Americans, who are projected to consume nearly $2 trillion in goods and services in nominal dollars by 2030, according to the McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility.
“Diversity is better for the bottom line,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson said in an exclusive announcement to The Associated Press. “In a global economy, those who reject the multicultural nature of consumerism and business will be left in the past they are living in.”
Keisha Bross, an economic strategist at the NAACP, says they are not calling for a “boycott” of companies but instead encourage consumers to “buy-in” on companies that back their values. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to use the Black Consumer Advisory.
The NAACP is speaking with executives at companies named in the advisory for reversing their DEI policies — including Lowe’s, Target, Walmart, Amazon, Meta, McDonald’s, and Tractor Supply — and will update its guidance as companies roll back or reaffirm commitments to DEI.
The advisory praises Costco for standing by previous commitments, as well as Apple, Ben & Jerry’s, Delta Airlines, e.l.f. Cosmetics and JPMorgan Chase & Co.
The effort comes as corporations, governments and other major institutions face pressure to roll back DEI policies amid a backlash from the Trump administration and Republican-led state governments.
Soon after taking office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to end “illegal preferences and discrimination” in government and instructed federal agencies to find ways alongside the Justice Department to “encourage the private sector to end illegal discrimination and preferences, including DEI.”
DEI policies are a catchall term for programs meant to promote fair treatment, impartial hiring and cooperation between people from different backgrounds. Such policies vary wildly but often include anti-discrimination mandates and training meant to inform people about how to promote inclusive values. Some institutions hire staff who focus on implementing DEI policies.
The advisory looks at which companies are backtracking on prior commitments, including by eliminating diversity officer positions, ending hiring practices meant to boost staff diversity or supplier diversity standards, or reducing investments in Black communities such as support for historically Black colleges and universities.
The study by McKinsey also found that Black Americans are more likely to live in communities that lack access to the goods and services of major companies.
Johnson, the NAACP president, said he wants to provide a framework for Black communities “as we make difficult decisions on where to spend our hard-earned money.”
“If corporations want our dollars, they better be ready to do the right thing,” he said.
Trump’s orders also face legal pushback. In February, a group that included the mayor of Baltimore and an association representing university professors sued the Trump administration over the orders, claiming that the directives violated civil rights law.
“In his crusade to erase diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility from our country, President Trump cannot usurp Congress’s exclusive power of the purse, nor can he silence those who disagree with him by threatening them with the loss of federal funds and other enforcement actions,” the plaintiffs in the lawsuit wrote.
More litigation surrounding DEI in the private sector is pending. The Federal Communications Commission recently sued Comcast over its DEI policies. And the state of Missouri in February filed a lawsuit against Starbucks over its DEI policies. Companies including Apple, Berkshire Hathaway, Coca-Cola, IBM, Mastercard and Pepsico face shareholder resolutions challenging their DEI practices.
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