As conservatives continue to pressure universities and businesses to end their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies, Lowes Home Improvement has become the latest store to bow to pressure.
Conservative Campaigns Lead to Changes at Lowes
Thanks to the increased pressure from conservative advocates and their “Go Woke, Go Broke” campaign, Lowes Home Improvement is making some massive changes to its DEI programs for employees.
Lowes recently announced that they will not entirely abandon their DEI programs but will instead combine all their identity-based employee resource groups into one inclusive group.
However, Lowes also announced that they would limit their sponsorship to business-related issues like affordable housing and would no longer support or participate in Pride events.
This move comes in the wake of DEI programs being scaled back and cut down nationwide after the 2023 Supreme Court decision banning affirmative action in college admissions.
Activist Robby Starbuck Targets Lowes
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck, an outspoken advocate campaigning against DEI programs, approached Lowes last week to inform them that they would be his next target due to their “divisive” policies.
While one advocate talking to a multimillion-dollar company may not seem like a big deal, Starbuck has played a significant role in pressuring other companies to drop such programs, including Tractor Supply, Harley-Davidson, and John Deere.
“Big news: I messaged @Lowes executives last week to let them know that I planned to expose their woke policies. This morning I woke up to an email where they preemptively made big changes,” Starbuck said in a post on X.
Starbuck says his efforts are part of a larger battle against what he sees as corporate America’s attempt to push divisive social issues when they should remain neutral and treat their customers fairly.
In his efforts, Starbuck has primarily targeted companies with a large conservative customer base that cannot afford to alienate them by maintaining blatantly liberal policies.
“The injection of DEI, woke trainings and divisive social issues have only divided workplaces across America,” Starbuck stated, adding that his mission is to “make corporate America sane and fair again.”
Lowes Reaffirms Commitment to Employees in DEI Memo
In their memo informing the company that they would be revising their DEI policies, Lowes ensured readers that all their policies would remain lawful and with the customer’s best interest at heart.
The memo said, “We may make additional changes over time,” but “what will not change, though, is our commitment to our people.”
Despite the generally successful push against DEI programs driving this corporate shift, a Washington Post and Ipsos poll indicated that 6 in 10 Americans like DEI programs.
Anti-Bias Training and Internships Receive Strong Support
At the same time, programs that provide anti-bias training and internships for marginalized groups receive even stronger support from Americans.
However, conservative advocates fighting against such programs feel they create preferences and biases based on race and gender, spurring a wave of lawsuits against such programs all across the country.
DEI Programs Seen as Partisan by Critics
Christopher Rufo from the Manhattan Institute wrote, “These are not neutral programs to increase demographic diversity; they are political programs that use taxpayer resources to advance a specific partisan orthodoxy.”
Orlando Gonzales, senior vice president of programs, research, and training at the Human Rights Campaign, has criticized these conservative advocates and said that listening to them may hurt these corporations.
Gonzales Predicts Negative Impact on Companies
“Hasty, shortsighted decisions contrary to safe and inclusive workplaces will create a snowball effect of negative long-term consequences for companies, cutting them off from top talent, turning off LGBTQ+ and other consumers, and impacting companies’ bottom line,” Gonzales said in an email to The Washington Post.
At the same time, Eric Bloem, vice president of the Human Rights Campaign, has said, “Hastily abandoning efforts that ensure fair, safe, and inclusive work environments for LGBTQ+ people based on manufactured outrage from MAGA bullies is bad business.”
Featured Image Credit: Shutterstock / William A. Morgan.
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