Rev. Al Sharpton has called for a boycott of companies that dismantled their diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the behest of far-right leaders like President Donald Trump.
The power of the Black community centers on its economic power.
Public transportation in Montgomery, Ala. did not integrate because the White power structure finally found Jesus.
It changed because the lack of the Black dollar led to fewer dollars in the pockets of White business owners.
While many supporters of President Donald Trump have vowed to boycott companies like Costco for not ending their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, civil rights leader and media personality Rev. Al Sharpton has announced a boycott too.
Sharpton has called for a boycott of companies that have ended their DEI programs at the behest of President Trump and other far-right politicians who believe a diverse workforce discriminates against White men.
On the contrary, many proponents of DEI have said that diversity programs do not lower standards.
DEI supporters say diversity programs cast a wider net, opening job opportunities to candidates not already within the bubble or circle of elite White Americans.
Sharpton said, “Why do we have DEI? We have DEI because you denied us diversity, you denied us equity, you denied us inclusion. DEI was a remedy to the racial institutionalized bigotry practice in academia and in these corporations. Now, if you want to put us back in the back of the bus, we gonna do the Dr. King-Rosa Parks on you.”
The New York native added, “You must have forgot who we are. We are the ones that you took everything and we here.”
The Hill reported, “According to Sharpton, a council will engage in a 90-day study of what companies have given up on DEI and what their profit margins are. After that, two companies will specifically be targeted for the boycott.
“Meanwhile, Sharpton added, he’ll be supporting companies that have doubled down on DEI, like Costco.”
Some companies that have turned away from DEI initiatives, in hopes of gaining favor with the Trump administration, are Amazon, Meta, McDonald’s, Walmart, Molson Coors, Ford Motor Company, John Deere, Lowe’s, Harley-Davidson, Brown-Forman, Tractor Supply Company and Toyota Motor Corp.
Additionally, many Black Americans have already started boycotting Tesla and the social media platform X because of Elon Musk’s past polarizing rhetoric and support of Trump.
With Meta also cozying up to Trump and eliminating DEI programs, many Black leaders like journalist Roland Martin and RegalMag.com publisher Todd A. Smith have urged Black Americans to support the Fanbase social media app, owned by Isaac Hayes III, the son of legendary soul singer/songwriter/actor Isaac Hayes.
Sharpton announced the boycott on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which coincided with the second inauguration of Trump, who has already put the wheels in motion to stop DEI programs in the federal government.
He also rescinded former President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s executive order that prohibited discrimination in the federal government.
Sharelle Burt of Black Enterprise reported, “Trump said he feels the target of DEI programs is to ‘socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.’ However, the definition of DEI relates to providing a more inclusive and equitable society.”
Although Trump thinks that DEI injects race and gender into every part of private and public life, race and gender have always been injected into American society.
For centuries, certain jobs were exclusive to White men.
Furthermore, voting was exclusive to White men for centuries.
At one time, only White men could serve on juries.
As a result, programs like DEI and affirmative action began to open things up to everyone, regardless of race, gender or sex.
Sharpton’s announcement came at the church that held the funeral for abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
Parks’ body was also brought through that church during her homegoing services.
The civil rights activist said, “We want people to see the tale of two cities in one district. On this side of town, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his life to open up America for everybody: Blacks, Whites, gays, straights, it didn’t matter. We are with Dr. King.”
When asked if he would meet with the new president to discuss his concerns, Sharpton said he would only do so if accompanied by other civil rights leaders.
Sharpton said, “I will not do a photo op.”
Many critics of Trump believe he uses influential Black Americans for optics while pushing an agenda detrimental to the Black community like eliminating DEI and civil rights protections.
Black activists have said that Trump’s MAGA movement gained steam in America after the historic gains made by Black Americans over the last decade like the two election victories for former President Barack Obama.
Throughout American history, White backlash has often followed Black progress like the rise of Jim Crow laws after many Black Americans got elected to political office during Reconstruction.
Thriving Black communities like Black Wall Street in Tulsa, Okla. got decimated by jealous White mobs.
Beginning in 2016, Trump has tapped into resentment from many in the White community who believed their country was being taken away from them.
Hence, the anti-DEI and MAGA movements and boycotts against companies refusing to dismantle their diversity programs.
On Dec. 31, 2024, Newsweek reported, “Costco is facing threats of a boycott from supporters of President-elect Donald Trump after executives refused to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion policies at the request of shareholders…
“While DEI initiatives in the workplace became commonplace over the past decade, they have recently faced more scrutiny from both a legal and cultural standpoint—with some companies rolling back their DEI initiatives following boycotts led by conservative consumers.”
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