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Home improvement chain Lowe\u2019s is scaling back its diversity, equity and inclusion policies, joining the ranks of several other companies that altered their programs since the U.S. Supreme Court\u00a0outlawed affirmative action<\/a>\u00a0in college admissions or after facing a conservative backlash online.<\/p>\n In an internal memo shared by Lowe\u2019s with The Associated Press, its executive leadership said the retailer began \u201creviewing\u201d its programs following the court\u2019s July 2023 ruling and the company recently decided to combine its resource groups, which were for \u201cindividual groups representing diverse sections of our associate population,\u201d into one umbrella organization.<\/p>\n The retailer also will no longer participate in an annual survey by the Human Rights Campaign that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees, and will also stop sponsoring and participating in events, such as festivals and parades, that are outside of its business areas.<\/p>\n The changes were made to ensure Lowe\u2019s policies are \u201clawful\u201d and aligned with its commitment to \u201cinclude everyone,\u201d the memo states.<\/p>\n \u201cWe may make additional changes over time,\u201d the company\u2019s leadership team said in the memo. \u201cWhat will not change, though, is our commitment to our people.\u201d<\/p>\n Robby Starbuck, a conservative political commentator who has gone after companies like Tractor Supply<\/a> and John Deere<\/a>,\u00a0took credit<\/a>\u00a0for the changes Monday in a post\u00a0on X<\/a>, saying he had approached a Lowe\u2019s executive online last week and detailed his plans to \u201cexpose\u201d the company over its hiring policies and other topics, such as LGBTQ+ employee resource groups and funding for Pride events.<\/p>\n However, Lowe\u2019s spokesperson Steve Salazar pushed back on that claim in an email Tuesday, noting that Starbuck\u2019s outreach came after the company \u201calready announced changes that had long been in process\u201d internally. The company memo did not specify when exactly these changes were implemented but noted that they were discussed at an August 21 meeting.<\/p>\n Over the last week, Lowe\u2019s has knocked down a different claim spreading on social media, in which a digitally-altered image quoted Lowe\u2019s CEO Marvin Ellison as saying that conservatives who didn\u2019t like the company\u2019s values should instead shop at rival Home Depot<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cLowe\u2019s CEO did not make this comment,\u201d the company\u00a0wrote on X in response<\/a>\u00a0to several users who shared the image. \u201cEveryone is welcome at Lowe\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n For his part, Ellison has\u00a0diversified the company\u2019s ranks<\/a>, adding more women and ethnically diverse leaders since taking the helm in 2018. Ellison, who is Black and grew up in segregated rural Tennessee, has also been outspoken about racism since the police killing of George Floyd, which sparked major protests for racial justice in 2020.<\/p>\n Criticism of such DEI policies has extended well beyond Lowe\u2019s to companies across all industries. They include boycott calls on social media as well as\u00a0legal attacks<\/a>\u00a0following the Supreme Court\u2019s affirmative action ruling, which many anti-DEI activists want to use to set a\u00a0similar precedent<\/a>\u00a0in the working world.<\/p>\n Starbuck, who has a sizable following on X<\/a>, has used the platform as a mega phone to target DEI policies at\u00a0Tractor Supply<\/a>, farm equipment maker\u00a0John Deere<\/a>, motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson<\/a> and whiskey maker Jack Daniels. During an interview with The AP last month, the 35-year-old Cuban American said he has a list of companies he is thinking of posting content about, but was starting with ones that have traditionally conservative customer bases.<\/p>\n Following an online pressure campaign earlier this summer, Tractor Supply and John Deere ended some diversity measures. Last week, Harley-Davidson<\/a> backtracked on its DEI policies, though the company noted in its announcement that it has not \u201coperated a DEI function since April 2024.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Jack Daniels\u2019 parent company Brown-Forman<\/a> said last week that it had \u201cadjusted\u201d its diversity and inclusion strategy to \u201censure it continues to drive our business results while appropriately recognizing the current environment in which we find ourselves.\u201d Starbuck suggested on X that the company had reacted preemptively after his team looked at employee profiles on LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n Though the changes are welcomed by conservative activists, DEI advocates say that, by conceding to Starbuck and other right-wing figures, corporations are essentially giving in to hate.<\/p>\n \u201cRacial justice and LGBTQ inclusion are being, for lack of a better word, sort of scapegoated by a small, organized effort that\u2019s really seeking to dictate how companies conduct their business,\u201d said Jen Stark, co-director of the Center for Business and Social Justice at BSR, a consulting network of more than 300 companies.<\/p>\n Stark said it\u2019s a challenging environment for companies today, but stressed that a majority are keeping diversity and inclusion programs in place because they make good business sense. However, following last year\u2019s Supreme Court decision, she noted that businesses need to ensure their DEI programs are \u201con firm ground\u201d \u2014 and avoid overcorrection when and if backlash arrives, which she noted can cause more harm.<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t just a step backward for workplaces,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s really a retreat from how we normalize practices that remove barriers and impediments for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n On Tuesday, the Human Rights Campaign, which Lowe\u2019s is no longer partnering with under its new policy, blasted such retreats from DEI and pointed to potential impacts on companies\u2019 bottom line by turning off LGBTQ+ and other consumers.<\/p>\n Orlando Gonzales, HRC\u2019s senior vice president of programs, research and training, called the changes \u201cshortsighted decisions contrary to safe and inclusive workplaces\u201d that would create a \u201csnowball effect of negative long-term consequences.\u201d Gonzales also took particular aim at Starbuck \u2014 arguing companies \u201cshould not cower to a random guy with zero business experience\u201d and that the activist was removed\u00a0from Tennessee Republican party<\/a>\u00a0because he is \u201cso extreme.\u201d<\/p>\n Starbuck, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday, said last month that his list included companies perceived as mainstream or middle of the road politically, including Microsoft<\/a>. For a company such as coffee chain Starbucks<\/a>, on the other hand, it would be \u201chard to force boycott pressure on them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Stark noted the outcome of the U.S. election \u201cwill also turn the thermostat, up or down\u201d on the DEI conversation. A second term for former President Donald Trump would likely increase pressure against DEI policies \u2014 with many of Trump\u2019s supporters already signaling ways they\u2019d like to see such practices dismantled \u2014 whereas his challenger Kamala Harris could have the opposite effect.<\/p>\n Some companies are bracing for the prospects of potential changes in terms of their federal contracts, for example, which have historically been a powerful way to promote equity in workplaces. And others may be looking to change language or find new workarounds to existing programs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could see potentially a resurgence of DEI related efforts or retrenchment,\u201d she said. \u201cI think a through line will be that companies will continue again to do this work in practice or in name \u2014 (but) the degree to which they show up publicly will be dependent on the landscape.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n