Rev. Al Sharpton launches a boycott against companies scaling back diversity initiatives, stirring controversy and raising questions about potential conflicts of interest.
At a Glance
- Sharpton announces boycott of companies ending DEI programs during MLK Day rally
- National Action Network to study companies moving away from DEI policies
- Boycott targets two companies, urging all Americans to participate
- Announcement coincides with Trump’s plans to end federal DEI programs
- Concerns raised about potential conflicts of interest for Sharpton and MSNBC
Sharpton’s Bold Move Against Corporate America
Reverend Al Sharpton has declared a boycott targeting companies that are scaling back or eliminating their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The announcement came during a Martin Luther King Jr. Day rally at the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C., drawing attention to what Sharpton sees as a regression in corporate responsibility.
He really thinks he can walk back this extremely popular Trump policy and convince everyone he’s right by…not buying some products?
Sharpton’s National Action Network plans to conduct a study on companies moving away from DEI policies and their profit margins. Following this study, the organization intends to select two companies for the boycott, encouraging all Americans to participate regardless of their background.
In other words…he wants to blackmail businesses into championing racism. Got it.
The Rationale Behind DEI Initiatives
Addressing the importance of DEI programs, Sharpton emphasized their role in remedying historical injustices. He argued that these initiatives were established to address long-standing issues of racial discrimination and exclusion in both academia and corporate environments.
“Why do we have DEI? We have DEI because you denied us diversity, you denied us equity, you denied us inclusion. DEI was a remedy to the racial institutionalized bigotry practice in academia and in these corporations. Now, if you want to put us back in the back of the bus, we going to do the Dr. King-Rosa Parks on you,” Rev. Al Sharpton said.
The man is living on another planet…
Several major corporations, including Walmart, McDonald’s, Ford, and Meta, have recently announced plans to scale back or eliminate their DEI initiatives. This trend has sparked concern among civil rights activists and has become a point of political contention. Sharpton’s boycott announcement coincided with President Trump’s inauguration and his executive order to end DEI programs in the federal government, adding a layer of political complexity to the issue.
“Donald Trump just said in his inaugural address that he is going to end DEI this week. He’s gonna put out his executive orders. You have all these corporations that are saying they gonna back up DEI,” Sharpton noted.
Maddened by Trump and the rest of the country seeing sense, Sharpton is likely to be a thorn in our side for a good while longer.
