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Black America Web
07-07-2025
- Business
- Black America Web
Home Depot's DEI Removal Has Activist Group Calling For Boycott
Source: Luke Johnson / Getty Another day, another company rightfully facing consequences for abandoning its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The latest company facing a potential boycott is none other than The Home Depot. According to Newsweek, People's Union USA founder John Schwartz has called for a 31-day boycott against the home improvement retail store for quietly removing their DEI initiatives from their website. People's Union USA is a non-partisan activist group focused on 'economic resistance, corporate accountability, and real justice for the working class.' 'We the people have had and seen enough. So this July, we make a different kind of noise. We stop shopping with them, we stop funding the systems that don't serve us. And we shift our energy to small businesses, to local shops, to the people who actually care. Because we are the economy,' Schwartz said in a video posted to Instagram. 'For over 45 years, our business success has been driven by our eight core values, including respect for all people and taking care of our people. We're proud to have a culture that welcomes everyone, and we believe it helps us achieve our business goals by supporting associates, building relationships and fostering innovation,' Home Depot said in a statement sent to Newsweek. It appears Home Depot has rebranded its DEI program to the more generic 'WeAreTHD.' A look at its website shows very little in terms of DEI commitments or even the word diversity. The most I could find was the 2024 racial equity assessment that highlighted its prior commitment to DEI and a stat revealing that 58 percent of its new hires were 'ethnically diverse.' It feels more than a bit self-serving for Home Depot to keep up the report and statistics while erasing any public support for DEI. The pullback from DEI initiatives has proven to have adverse consequences for several businesses this year. Target is among the most notable as it went from being a brand favored by Black and queer consumers to one no one seems to be rocking with. The company wasted no time announcing it would be ending its DEI initiatives shortly after President Trump took office. The move sparked outrage among consumers and activist groups nationwide. Dr Jamal Bryant was the first to call for a boycott of Target and it appears to have taken hold as foot traffic has steadily been down in Target stores throughout the year. In May, the company reported a drop in quarterly sales during an earnings call. The boycott has proven so successful that other companies have begun listing consumer boycotts as potential sales risks for investors. What makes the companies pulling back from DEI initiatives look so bad is that we've seen several companies stand ten toes down on DEI and face little to no consequences. In fact, a recent poll revealed that companies who maintain their DEI initiatives actually have better reputations. Costco announced it'd be keeping its DEI initiatives and has seen sales grow this year. Apple similarly announced that its shareholders voted to keep its DEI programs, which predictably sent President Trump into a hissy fit, but no legal action has been taken against the company. While the Trump administration has made a big show of cracking down on DEI in universities and colleges, it hasn't taken nearly as an aggressive stance against private business. Considering that the administration ostensibly wants to be seen as 'pro-business' (one look at the big, horrifying bill shows they certainly aren't pro-worker), one has to wonder if Trump is all bark no bite when it comes to regulating DEI in private businesses. If the last six months have revealed anything it's that the only people actually tripping over DEI are the weirdos in the White House and trolls online. If companies want to avoid boycotts and a potential loss in sales, they should continue to embrace DEI and not abandon it. SEE ALSO: Poll Shows Companies Maintaing DEI Intiatives Have Better Reputations Survey: High-Level Business Execs Say DEI Is Necessary SEE ALSO Home Depot's DEI Removal Has Activist Group Calling For Boycott was originally published on
The Independent
14-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Home Depot facing customer boycott after quietly rolling back DEI policy
Home Depot has enraged its customers, sparking calls for a boycott, after it decided to quietly axe a section of its website championing the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. The recently removed DEI page, which was live on the site as of March, read: 'We strive to ensure that our company culture maintains a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment so that we can attract and retain the best employees, amplify their unique experiences and ideas, and strengthen the communities where we operate.' The move follows President Donald Trump 's orders to axe DEI programs in the private and public sectors across the nation. While supporters have celebrated Trump's orders, they have been criticized by advocacy groups who say they might deepen inequities and undo decades of progress made to enshrine civil rights protections for marginalized groups. Since then, Home Depot has replaced its DEI page with a 'WeAreTHD' page that omits any mention of 'diversity, equity, and inclusion,' reports Retail Brew. In a statement to Retail Brew, spokesperson Sarah McDonald said: 'We're proud to have a culture that welcomes everyone, and we believe it helps us achieve our business goals.' 'We've been using 'WeAreTHD,' which is a slogan that represents the welcoming culture we've built here. We remain committed to our core values and the needs of our business, empowering associates, driving innovation, and enriching our communities,' she continued. Customers took to social media to vocalize their frustrations at the hardware store, with Blue Sky user, Greg Morosoff writing: 'Well, look at that. Home Depot seems to have done away with DEI also. They say some corporo babble, but, nothing about DEI. Another reason to boycott everything publicly traded, like, Home Depot.' Another, Lorie Kellogg, said, 'Well, we all know that [home improvement competitor] Lowe's is a blue company and Home Depot's a red company, so here we go.' Equally, a user who claimed to be an employee praised the company, saying it was 'a really great place to work' and that 'there's an entire app on the phones we're given to work around the store with that takes you to a browser page describing what DEI means and what DEI benefits Home Depot offers and supports, and that stuff'a important to me.' Trump supporters praised the move on X, with one user stating: 'Thank you for dropping #DEI. It was preposterous to have a DEI policy! Home Depot knows its customers should not have ever pushed for inclusion. Thank You Home Depot, for waking up.' The store has followed in the footsteps of other American businesses, like Target, which announced it would be rolling back DEI in late January. In March, a 40-day boycott was proposed against the big-box chain.
