DEI rollbacks highlight the uneasy relationship between corporations and Black consumers

DEI policies – short for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – have been in the crosshairs since President Donald Trump arrived back in the White House.

Many corporations have been proactively choosing to downsize their DEI programs or eliminate them completely. But one company is facing a unique level of backlash: Target. 

The retail giant announced last month it would eliminate multiple DEI projects, including hiring goals, and its Racial Equity Action and Change program which focused on investing in and carrying products from Black and minority-owned businesses.

Critics of these moves have been calling for boycotts of the red bullseye but it may end up hurting those businesses Target has helped. 

Guests:

• Timeka Tounsel, Associate Professor of Black Studies in Communication at the University of Washington. 

Relevant Links: 

• Black faith leaders call for Target boycott for backing off diversity initiatives
• Target retreated on DEI. Then came the backlash
• In age of racial reckoning, Ralph Lauren partners with Morehouse and Spelman grads on vintage Black fashion styles

Thank you to the supporters of KUOW, you help make this show possible! If you want to help out, go to kuow.org/donate/soundsidenotes

Soundside is a production of KUOW in Seattle, a proud member of the NPR Network.