"Special programs we ran for minorities at the firm were often counterproductive. That may be a provocation to other people. But I think if you brand something a remedial program, you're kind of also branding the people who go into that program."
"Companies launched initiatives to ensure their workforces were more inclusive of underrepresented communities in a modern revamp of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Many pledged to invest billions of dollars to promote racial equity and gender equality."
"Within five years, the tides turned on DEI campaigns when the 2023 Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action programs dampened DEI efforts. And on the second day of his second term, President Donald Trump rang in an anti-woke agenda through an executive order that overturned Biden-era federal DEI initiatives, and which rippled throughout the corporate world."
George Floyd's 2020 murder sparked a racial justice movement that prompted corporations to launch diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, with many pledging billions to promote racial equity and gender equality. However, the 2023 Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action programs and President Trump's 2025 executive order overturning Biden-era federal DEI initiatives reversed this momentum. Former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein criticized DEI efforts as counterproductive, arguing that branding programs as remedial stigmatizes participants. Many Fortune 500 companies, including Target, Walmart, and Pepsi, have since scaled back or eliminated their DEI programs, with some corporate changes sparking civil rights boycotts.
#dei-initiatives #corporate-diversity-programs #affirmative-action #racial-justice #trump-executive-orders
Read at Fortune
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]