Target rolls back DEI programs, following other retailers
Target has long faced conservative pushback, including over its pride month displays and offerings for children.
Retail giant Target on Friday announced that it would "conclude" some of its diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives "as planned" as other retailers roll back DEI programs and the White House works to scourge them from federal agencies.
Target's "Belonging at the Bullseye" agenda, the company insisted, would continue its "commitment to inclusion" but will end its three-year DEI goals and its Racial Equity Action and Change (REACH), which it will end in 2025 "as planned."
The retailer also committed to "[s]topping all external diversity-focused surveys, including HRC’s Corporate Equality Index."
Target has long faced conservative pushback, including over its pride month displays and offerings for children. The retailer's change of approach follows Walmart, McDonald's, John Deere, and Harley-Davidson, which have moved to eliminate their DEI initiatives, the Associated Press reported.
Conservatives were quick to declare victory. Consumers' Research Executive Director Will Hild, for instance, said that "Target's retreat is great news and yet another indication that the DEI industrial complex is crumbling."
"The momentum has shifted and virtually every company is taking notice. After shamelessly indulging in woke activism for so long, Target publicly backing away from DEI is an undeniable sign of progress and a real victory for consumers," he added. "The fight against DEI must continue until this harmful cancer is eradicated from American society completely. Each day we are coming closer to that goal."