NEW YORK (AP) – Target on Friday reiterated its commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, which has come under attack from conservative activists and the White House as of this week, compared to rival Walmart and many other prominent U.S. brands. announced that they would work together to reduce the size. .
The Minneapolis-based retailer says its “Belonging at the Bulleye” strategy changes include helping Black employees build meaningful careers, improving the experience for Black shoppers and responding to police killings of Black people. He said that includes ending programs he established to promote black-owned businesses. George Floyd in 2020.
Target, which operates approximately 2,000 stores nationwide and employs more than 400,000 people, said it will also complete its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) goals, which were previously set on a three-year cycle.
Goals include hiring and promoting more women and members of racial minorities, and a more diverse supplier base, including businesses owned by people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, veterans, and people with disabilities. It included hiring.
In a memo to employees, Kiera Fernandez, Target’s head of community impact and equity, acknowledged the decades-long process to create an “inclusive work and guest environment that welcomes all.” “The next chapter,” he said.
“Years of data, insight, listening and learning have shaped the next chapter of our strategy,” Fernandez wrote in a memo shared by Target on Friday. “And as a retailer serving millions of consumers every day, we understand the importance of keeping pace with the evolving external environment, now and in the future.”
The past five years have seen major changes in the U.S. civil rights landscape since many American companies adopted DEI targets in response to the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of Floyd in Minneapolis. There is no doubt that this has been achieved.
A 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that outlawed affirmative action in college admissions led to conservative groups targeting corporate initiatives such as employee resource groups and hiring practices that prioritize historically marginalized groups. Emboldened to sue and threaten.
Walmart, McDonald’s, Ford, Harley-Davison, and John Deere are among the prominent consumer brands that have scaled back or phased out DEI efforts in recent months.
President Donald Trump this week said his administration agrees with conservatives who argue that policies aimed at increasing minority representation based on factors such as race, gender and sexual orientation violate the Constitution. He showed a willingness to do so.
On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at ending DEI programs across the federal government. The order cancels all DEI mandates, policies, priorities, and activities, and calls for a review and revision of existing employment practices, union contracts, and training policies and programs.
“These illegal DEI and DEIA policies also diminish the importance of individual ability, aptitude, hard work, and determination in selecting people for jobs and services in key areas of American society, and they undermine the importance of endangering the safety of men, women and children,” the order states.
Unlike some companies that are restructuring or rescinding their diversity efforts, Target’s efforts to build a more inclusive workforce predate 2020, and the company has long been considered a trailblazer when it comes to LGBTQ+ acceptance.
However, an employee memo shared on Friday said Target does not use the annual metrics compiled by the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ+ rights organization, to measure the effectiveness of its work. It was written that he would no longer participate in the survey. Target said it would further evaluate the corporate partnerships to ensure they were directly tied to business objectives, but did not provide further details.
The goal of DEI opponents is to force companies to withdraw from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index and stop sponsoring Pride activities.
Target has been trying to move past this issue for some time to avoid backlash from conservative customers and organizations. As transgender rights became a more prominent issue in 2016, the company declared that “inclusivity is Target’s core belief,” and said that transgender employees and customers “have no right to identify with their gender identity.” “We will support you in using the restrooms and fitting rooms.”
But after some customers threatened to boycott Target stores, the company announced it would make single-restroom bathrooms with lockable doors available in more stores.
In 2023, Target removed some Pride Month products after online complaints and in-store confrontations threatened the health of its employees. Last year, the company decided not to stock Pride Month products in all of its U.S. stores.
Still, some prominent companies are resisting public pressure to back away from diversity plans. Costco shareholders on Thursday rejected a proposal that would have required the wholesale club operator to evaluate the risks posed by its diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
More than 98% of Costco’s shares voted against the proposal, which was submitted by a conservative Washington-based think tank, according to preliminary results shared by Costco executives. Costco’s board of directors had recommended no vote.
