Lowe’s Joins Tractor Supply, Harley Davidson, and John Deere in Opposing DEI Initiatives

In an internal memo shared with The Associated Press by Lowe’s, the company’s executive leadership said the retailer began “reviewing” its programs following the July 2023 court ruling and recently decided to consolidate its resource groups, which are dedicated to “individual groups representing diverse segments of our affiliate community,” into one common organization.

The retailer will also no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual survey measuring workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees, and will stop sponsoring and participating in events such as festivals and parades outside its business.

The memo states the changes are being made to ensure Lowe’s policies are “lawful” and consistent with its commitment to “being inclusive.”

“We may make additional changes over time,” the company’s leadership team said in the memo. “However, what will not change is our commitment to our employees.”

Robby Starbuck, a conservative political commentator who has gone after companies like Supply of tractors and John Deere, took credit for for changes on Monday in a post on Xsaid he approached a Lowe’s executive online last week and detailed plans to “expose” the company on hiring policies and other topics, such as LGBTQ+ employee resource groups and sponsorship of Pride events.

However, Lowe’s spokesperson Steve Salazar disputed that claim in an email Tuesday, noting that Starbucks’ outreach came after the company “announced changes that had been in the works” internally. The company memo did not specify exactly when those changes were made, but noted that they were discussed at an Aug. 21 meeting.

This past week, Lowe’s denied another claim circulating on social media, in which a digitally edited image quoted Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison as saying that conservatives who don’t like the company’s values ​​should shop at a competitor. Home Depot.

“Lowe’s CEO had no comment,” the company said. wrote on X in reply for some users who shared the image. “Everyone is welcome at Lowe’s.”

For his part, Ellison has diversify the company’s rankinghas added more women and ethnically diverse leaders since taking office in 2018. Ellison, who is black and grew up in racially segregated rural Tennessee, has also been vocal about racism since the police killing of George Floyd, which sparked massive racial justice protests in 2020.

Criticism of such DEI policies has spread beyond Lowe’s to companies across industries. They include calls for boycotts on social media as well as legal attack following the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling, which many anti-DEI activists want to use to establish similar precedent in the world of work.

Starbuck, who has a significant following on Xused the platform as a giant phone to target DEI policies at Supply of tractorsagricultural equipment manufacturer John Deeremotorcycle manufacturer Harley Davidson and whiskey maker Jack Daniels. In an interview with the AP last month, the 35-year-old Cuban-American said he has a list of companies he is thinking about posting content with, but will start with those whose customer base is traditionally conservative.

Following an online pressure campaign earlier this summer, Tractor Supply and John Deere have ended some of their diversity measures. Last week, Harley Davidson has backed away from its DEI policies, although the company noted in the announcement that it has not “operated any DEI functions since April 2024.”

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Jack Daniels’ parent company Brown-Forman said last week that it had “adjusted” its diversity and inclusion strategy to “ensure it continues to drive our business results while still recognizing the current environment we live in.” Starbuck suggested on X that the company responded first after its team reviewed employee profiles on Linkedin.

While these changes have been welcomed by conservative activists, DEI advocates argue that by giving in to Starbuck and other right-wing figures, corporations are essentially capitulating to hate.

“Racial justice and LGBTQ inclusion are being blamed on a small, organized effort that really wants to dictate how companies do business,” said Jen Stark, co-director of the Center for Business and Social Justice at BSR, a consulting network of more than 300 companies.

Stark said it’s a challenging environment for companies today, but stressed that the vast majority of companies still maintain diversity and inclusion programs because they make good business sense. But in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court ruling, she noted that businesses need to make sure their DEI programs are “on solid ground” — and avoid overcorrecting when and if there’s backlash, which she noted could cause more harm.

“This is not just a step backward for the workplace,” she said. “It’s really a step backward from how we standardize activities that remove barriers and obstacles for people.”

On Tuesday, the Human Rights Campaign, which Lowe’s no longer partners with under its new policy, criticized the moves to withdraw from DEI and pointed to the potential impact on companies’ bottom lines when they stop working with LGBTQ+ and other consumers.

Orlando Gonzales, HRC’s senior vice president of programs, research and training, called the changes “short-sighted decisions that are at odds with safe and inclusive workplaces” that will create “a ripple effect of long-term negative consequences.” Gonzales also took particular aim at Starbucks — arguing that companies “should not be cowed by a random guy with no business experience” and that the activist had been fired. from the Tennessee Republican Party because he is “too extreme”.

Starbuck, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday, said last month that his list included companies considered politically mainstream or centrist, including Microsoft. For a company like a coffee chain StarbucksOn the other hand, he said it would be “difficult to put boycott pressure on them.”

Stark notes that the outcome of the US election “will also change the temperature, either up or down” in the DEI conversation. A second term for former President Donald Trump would likely increase pressure on DEI policies—with many Trump supporters signaling a desire to dismantle such practices—while his opponent, Kamala Harris, could have the opposite effect.

Some companies are bracing for the prospect of potential changes to their federal contracts, for example, which have historically been powerful ways to promote workplace equity. And others may be looking to change language or find new alternatives to existing programs.

“We could see the potential for DEI efforts to be revived or curtailed,” she said. “I think a common thread is that companies will continue to do this work either in practice or in name — (but) how much they do it publicly will depend on the context.”