Home improvement giant Lowe’s is the latest company to back away from some of its diversity, equity, and inclusion policies amid pressure from conservative activists .
A Lowe’s spokesman confirmed the changes in an email to the Washington Examiner, which included a recently circulated letter addressed to “officers” of the company. The letter revealed that Lowe’s is no longer participating in corporate surveys from the gay rights group Human Rights Campaign.
The letter, which was signed off by the company’s executive leadership team, said Lowe’s began reviewing its DEI programs in the wake of the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard last year, which banned race-based affirmative action in college admissions.
The leadership team said the changes were made to ensure the company’s diversity and inclusion programs are lawful and aligned with its commitment to ensure no one is excluded from opportunities at the company.
“We made some changes to our programs so they can more effectively further this commitment,” the letter noted. “For example, we recently decided to combine our business resource groups, from individual groups representing diverse sections of our associate population, into one umbrella organization.”
The letter also said the home improvement company has been narrowing its philanthropic and community outreach focus and that its efforts would now be focused on just three areas: safe and affordable housing and community improvement, disaster relief, and skilled trades education.
“As a result, Lowe's will focus on events that have the biggest impact to these three areas,” it added. “We will not sponsor and participate in community events that are outside of this scope, such as festivals, parades and fairs.”
The revelation comes amid a pressure campaign from conservative activists targeting corporations for their DEI policies and practices.
Conservative activist and podcast host Robby Starbuck said in a video posted to social media that he had contacted Lowe’s executives about the company's DEI policies and received an email in which they announced the policy changes.
“Big news: I messaged @Lowes executives last week to let them know that I planned to expose their woke policies. This morning I woke up to an email where they preemptively made big changes,” he wrote on X.
Other companies, under pressure from Starbuck and others, have recently announced changes to their DEI programs.
Deere and Company, the maker of John Deere tractors and other farm machinery, recently scaled back its DEI initiatives. The company said it will no longer sponsor “social or cultural awareness” events.
“To best serve our customers and employees, Deere is always listening to feedback and looking for opportunities to improve,” the company said in a statement. “That’s why we consistently prioritize internal policies that more closely align our business strategy to meet the needs of our customers.”
Tractor Supply announced in June it was changing its DEI positioning. For instance, it will refocus its team member engagement groups, eliminate DEI positions and goals, stop sponsoring nonbusiness activities such as voting campaigns and gay pride festivals, and withdraw its carbon emission goals.
And just this month, amid pressure from Starbuck, iconic motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson said it would be ending its relationship with the Human Rights Campaign. The company also said it would be reviewing sponsorships and the organizations it is affiliated with.
“It is critical to our business that we hire and retain the best talent and that all employees feel welcome,” Harley-Davidson said in a statement. “That said, we have not operated a DEI function since April 2024, and we do not have a DEI function today. We do not have hiring quotas and we no longer have supplier diversity spend goals.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The growing effort from conservatives pushing back on DEI is related to efforts to curb corporate environmental, social, and governance practices. ESG is a financial concept that centers on compelling social change through investment and divestment. It is a corporate model that doesn’t solely look at maximizing profit but also incorporates other elements into financial decisions — for instance, how an investment might affect fossil fuel emissions.
With some noticeable success, Republican state attorneys general and treasurers have pushed back on ESG in recent years, branding the corporate model as antithetical to the traditional remit of solely maximizing shareholder value.
Most Popular
Comments / 0