Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

PBS and NPR Mount Last-Ditch Fight to Save Federal Funding

15 hours ago

Netanyahu Under Mounting Political Pressure After Party Quits

16 hours ago

Wall Street Opens Higher After Inflation, Bank Results

16 hours ago

Sick of Loud Ads on Netflix? A Proposed California Law Turns Down the Volume

1 day ago

Record Numbers of Americans Say Immigration Is Good for Country: Gallup Poll

2 days ago

In California Strawberry Fields, Immigration Raids Sow Fear

2 days ago

Newsom’s Office Attacks Stephen Miller, Calling Him a ‘Fascist Cuck’

2 days ago

Trump’s Spending Bill Will Likely Boost Costs for Insurers, Shrink Medicaid Coverage

2 days ago
NAACP Urges Support for Companies Upholding DEI Commitments
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 months ago on
February 15, 2025

NAACP releases spending guide to support companies maintaining diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments amid growing conservative pressure. (AP File)

Share

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 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.”

Encouraging ‘Buy-In’ Rather Than Boycotts

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.

Backlash Against DEI Policies

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.

Evaluating Corporate Commitments

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.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

So Your Doctor Is a DO. Does That Matter?

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Found Dead After Hike Near Courtright Reservoir

DON'T MISS

Former US Army Soldier Pleads Guilty in Phone Company Hacking, Extortion Case

DON'T MISS

Fresno City Attorney Briefly Ineligible to Practice Law, Cites State Bar Error

DON'T MISS

Grass Fire East of Sanger Contained at 21 Acres, CalFire Says

DON'T MISS

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

DON'T MISS

What to Know About the Epstein Files, a Perfect Recipe for Conspiracy Theories

DON'T MISS

US Military to Remove 2,000 National Guard Troops From Los Angeles

DON'T MISS

Mexico Pledges Action Should US Talks Fail by August Tariff Deadline

DON'T MISS

Fresno Police Arrest Armed Man Found Asleep in Car

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Found Dead After Hike Near Courtright Reservoir

UP NEXT

Former US Army Soldier Pleads Guilty in Phone Company Hacking, Extortion Case

UP NEXT

Fresno City Attorney Briefly Ineligible to Practice Law, Cites State Bar Error

UP NEXT

Grass Fire East of Sanger Contained at 21 Acres, CalFire Says

UP NEXT

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

UP NEXT

What to Know About the Epstein Files, a Perfect Recipe for Conspiracy Theories

UP NEXT

US Military to Remove 2,000 National Guard Troops From Los Angeles

UP NEXT

Mexico Pledges Action Should US Talks Fail by August Tariff Deadline

UP NEXT

Fresno Police Arrest Armed Man Found Asleep in Car

UP NEXT

Trump Says Democratic Rival Schiff Should Be ‘Brought to Justice’ for Alleged Fraud

Fresno City Attorney Briefly Ineligible to Practice Law, Cites State Bar Error

7 hours ago

Grass Fire East of Sanger Contained at 21 Acres, CalFire Says

7 hours ago

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

8 hours ago

What to Know About the Epstein Files, a Perfect Recipe for Conspiracy Theories

8 hours ago

US Military to Remove 2,000 National Guard Troops From Los Angeles

8 hours ago

Mexico Pledges Action Should US Talks Fail by August Tariff Deadline

8 hours ago

Fresno Police Arrest Armed Man Found Asleep in Car

8 hours ago

Trump Says Democratic Rival Schiff Should Be ‘Brought to Justice’ for Alleged Fraud

9 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Seeks Help Finding Missing Bass Lake Man

10 hours ago

Crypto Bills Hit Procedural Snag in Congress

10 hours ago

So Your Doctor Is a DO. Does That Matter?

By most measures, osteopathic medicine is a profession in its prime. The number of doctors of osteopathic medicine, or DOs, has grown 70% in...

6 hours ago

The number of osteopathic doctors has increased dramatically. People still don’t know what they are. (Sonia Pulido/The New York Times)
6 hours ago

So Your Doctor Is a DO. Does That Matter?

7 hours ago

Fresno Man Found Dead After Hike Near Courtright Reservoir

A hooded man holds a laptop computer as cyber code is projected on him in this illustration picture taken on May 13, 2017. (Reuters File)
7 hours ago

Former US Army Soldier Pleads Guilty in Phone Company Hacking, Extortion Case

7 hours ago

Fresno City Attorney Briefly Ineligible to Practice Law, Cites State Bar Error

A grass fire east of Sanger burned 21 acres Tuesday, July 15, 2025, afternoon before being contained, CalFire said. (CalFire)
7 hours ago

Grass Fire East of Sanger Contained at 21 Acres, CalFire Says

8 hours ago

Age Is Just a Number: 80-Year-Old Conquers Death Valley to Mt. Whitney Ultramarathon

Jack Posobiec, a far-right political activist, carries a binder labeled “The Epstein Files: Phase 1” as he exits the White House in Washington, Feb. 27, 2025. Here’s what to know about the disturbing facts and unsubstantiated suspicions that make Jeffrey Epstein, a registered sex offender, a politically potent obsession. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)
8 hours ago

What to Know About the Epstein Files, a Perfect Recipe for Conspiracy Theories

A demonstrator raises his hand holding flowers as members of the National Guard stand in formation outside a federal building during the No Kings protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's policies, in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 14, 2025. (Reuters File)
8 hours ago

US Military to Remove 2,000 National Guard Troops From Los Angeles

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend