- A group of 13 Democratic AGs wrote a letter to Walmart’s President and CEO expressing concern about Walmart’s announcement that it will end certain aspects of its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
- In the letter, the AGs explain that Walmart’s decision to phase out supplier diversity programs, close down its Center for Racial Equality, stop offering staff equity trainings, and remove the words “diversity” and “DEI” from employee titles and company documents may undermine antidiscrimination efforts; and they further urge Walmart to reconsider, arguing that the DEI initiatives may be necessary to ensure compliance with state and federal laws requiring employers to take necessary steps to address practices that purposefully discriminate or have discriminatory effects. The AGs also express concern that DEI opponents have improperly used the SCOTUS decision in Students for Fair Admissions Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College (SFFA), which struck down affirmative action in higher education, to pressure businesses.
- We have previously reported on opposing letters sent by Democratic and Republican AGs to Fortune 100 companies regarding the companies’ diversity and inclusion efforts in light of the SCOTUS decision in Students for Fair Admissions Inc.