Tractor Supply's reversal on DEI commitments draws community backlash

Good morning:

In October of 2021, less than three years ago, Tractor Supply CEO Hal Lawton wrote a guest opinion column for USA TODAY Network Tennessee about his Brentwood-based company’s new commitment to climate sustainability as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion. The company established five-year goals to be achieved by 2026. Those goals included:

• Double the number of stores where Team Members mirror the communities we serve,
• Increase people of color at the manager level and above by 50%,
• Increase funding to programs and education for Black and African Americans by 30%, and
• Increase spending with diverse suppliers by 35%.

The goals were ambitious but reasonable, and what I consider a clear-minded attempt to make intentional amends for past business practices that likely harmed many from marginalized communities. “We applaud others that have also stepped up,” Lawton wrote, “and we encourage others to do the same.”

But as we’ve recently seen across industry and society, these sorts of efforts have been viewed as unnecessary and offensive by conservatives who don’t value diversity and are content to roll back any progress that has been made toward realizing a society that is fair and just for all. They’re also more than willing to apply pressure to individuals and organizations whom they believe are pushing too far beyond their comfort zones of exclusivity and supremacy.

After receiving backlash from conservative customers and activists, Tractor Supply has now completely reversed course. For his column this week, Tennessean Opinion Director David Plazas wrote about this unfortunate but predictable reversal, occurring as Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti continues to criticize diversity initiatives and warn CEOs that factoring race into hiring decisions is “unconstitutional.”

For their part, the National Black Farmers Association has called for Lawton’s resignation. It’s too early to know what the outcome will be, but as we all know, the fight for equity must persist, even in the face of opposition.

Coming next week

We are announcing the five presenters at the third annual Black Tennessee Voices Storytellers being held at Meharry Medical College on Tuesday, Sept. 17. Save the date. A ticket link will available soon.

A big thank you to BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee for agreeing to be the presenting sponsor.

What else should you read this week?

• On an episode of Rolling Stone’s “Music Now” podcast, Black country star Darius Rucker said that he doesn’t believe fellow artist Morgan Wallen had been forgiven by the industry for his 2021 use of the n-word. As I wrote in my column, Rucker’s comments were both wrong and inconsiderate of the struggles still faced by Black artists in the genre.
• Tennessean intern Elena Wilson is back on the Opinion page with another take on Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s transit plan —this time linking it with the push for MNPD accountability. “Simply put, you can’t take advantage of public transportation, or any public services for that matter, if you do not feel secure in your neighborhood,” she wrote.

As always, it’s a pleasure to be in your inbox, and if we haven’t yet connected, I’d love to hear from you!

Andrea Williams is an opinion columnist for The Tennessean and curator of the Black Tennessee Voices initiative.