New York Walmart Done With “Woke” DEI

In a move that’s sending shockwaves through corporate America, Walmart, the largest private employer in the U.S., is scaling back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts.

Facing increasing pressure from conservatives, Walmart has announced significant changes to its policies, signaling a broader corporate shift.

The retail giant will end racial equity training programs for employees and reevaluate initiatives aimed at boosting supplier diversity. For years, Walmart prioritized working with businesses owned by women, minorities, veterans, and LGBTQ individuals—but not anymore.

Even its groundbreaking $100 million Center for Racial Equity, launched in 2020 after George Floyd’s death, won’t be renewed. This center was created to address systemic gaps in areas like education, health, finance, and criminal justice for African Americans. That effort? Gone.

Walmart is also scrutinizing its own support for Pride events, aiming to separate family-friendly celebrations from more controversial performances like drag shows.

And following the backlash Target faced earlier this year over "tuck-friendly" swimwear for kids, Walmart is monitoring its online marketplace to eliminate any products with sexual or transgender themes marketed to children.

What prompted this reversal?

The catalyst appears to be a tweet by Robby Starbuck, which called out Walmart’s DEI initiatives and threatened a boycott. The pressure worked, and the retailer reversed course.

These changes come after the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to strike down affirmative action, further emboldening conservative activists to challenge DEI policies. Major companies like Ford and Lowe’s have also scaled back their DEI efforts.

For context, Walmart’s previous DEI ambitions were highlighted in a 2021 press statement, which touted its commitment to inclusion

Now, it seems the “woke” era of corporate policy is on its way out.