Walmart to roll back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies

(NEW YORK) — Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is rolling back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies.

This brings it in line with several major corporations that have reviewed their operational practices after facing considerable pressure from conservatives.

No longer considering race and gender as a way to increase diversity when it offers supplier contracts, is an example of the retailer’s reported rollbacks, according to the Associated Press.

The company said it didn’t currently have quotas and didn’t plan to going forward; however, it planned to stop collecting demographic data when determining financing eligibility for grants.

In a statement to ABC News, Walmart said, “Our purpose, to help people save money and live better, has been at our core since our founding 62 years ago and continues to guide us today. We can deliver on it because we are willing to change alongside our associates and customers who represent all of America.”

“We’ve been on a journey and know we aren’t perfect,” the statement continued, “but every decision comes from a place of wanting to foster a sense of belonging, to open doors to opportunities for all our associates, customers and suppliers and to be a Walmart for everyone.”

Walmart will also be “reviewing grants to Pride events to make sure it is not financially supporting sexualized content targeting kids,” the retail giant told AP.

The changes also extend to Walmart’s sizable third-party marketplace.

For example, those third-party retailers would no longer be able to list and sell “sexual and transgender products aimed at minors,” the company said. An example is chest binders for young people who may be using the products as part of their gender-affirming care.

The world’s largest retailer confirmed the changes on Monday.

They were first announced in a post on X by conservative political commentator Robby Starbuck.

He said that he had been in touch with the Arkansas-based corporation about a story he was doing about “wokeness,” which turned into “productive conversations” — and, ultimately, led to reversals in Walmart’s approaches to DEI.

Other changes that Starbuck listed in his announcement included: discontinuing racial equity training through the Racial Equity Institute, no longer participating in the Human Rights Coalition’s Corporate Equity Index (a national benchmarking tool for LGBTQ individuals) and eliminating the use of Latinx (a gender-neutral word for anyone of Latin descent).

He also stated that Walmart will be eliminating the use of the phrase “DEI” altogether.

“This is the biggest win yet for our movement to end wokeness in corporate America,” wrote Starbuck, who has also gone after companies including Boeing, Lowe’s, Tractor Supply and Deere & Co.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.