Putting DEI on the Target

Is the die cast for DEI?

A growing number of corporations — From A(mazon) to W(almart) — are quietly stepping away from it, and some are facing the backlash of consumer boycotts, most recently Target. One example is this column by my friend, Jenice Armstrong of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

She was not alone. And I can understand the feeling of, well, betrayal. But, like most things, it’s complicated.

Armstrong’s implicit call for a boycott of Target was matched by a plea to not boycott by Black manufacturers whose financial stability is tied to the giant merchandiser.

So what do you do?

I consistently read that white women are the greatest beneficiaries of DEI, which is often defined as “programs to hire more employees from groups that are underrepresented in their workforce, such as racial and ethnic minorities and people with disabilities and to promote equity in the workplace.”  

If white women are the primary beneficiaries, you have to ask yourself if DEI is succeeding. (I have found no reliable stats on how each demographic — Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, gays, handicapped — fares under DEI.)

While DEI had its embryonic roots in the mid-60s, it exploded after the George Floyd riots  protests, and the Black Lives Matter movement.  (I know many people consider women to be minorities. I do not, because I can count. They are considered a “protected class” by the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.)

Wait!

We have an Equal Opportunity Employment Commission? So why do we need DEI? 

Maybe because EEOC is not effective enough?

In the wake of George Floyd, white guilt (some of it deserved) went through the roof.

The Fortune 500 crowd lined up, got into their swimsuits, and dived into the DEI pools, spending billions.

Here’s the funny thing: According to polling from Pew, DEI is actually popular among a majority of white Americans.

But a majority also say they don’t need more diversity in their own workplace.

How to explain that?

I think, generally speaking, Americans are fair-minded people, who recognize there are racial inequities in American life. But specifically, they don’t see any around them. 

Are they right? Debate among yourselves.

If DEI is generally popular, why are companies abandoning it?

Because conservatives have been successful in demonizing it as reverse racism, and a Washington Post poll found that most Americans feel it benefits minorities most.

 Which is what it was intended to do, even if it did not do that. White women benefited most, remember? 

When DEI policies are explained, their popularity rises, the Washington Post poll found.

But I think it’s too late.

When it comes to Target, Amazon, Walmart, and all the rest, I want to know if they remain equal opportunity employers.

I checked those three. They all have equal opportunity policies. Equal opportunity is defined as treating everyone the same, equally.

Has it been 100% successful?

No. Nothing is perfect.

But equal opportunity is like DEI Lite. It doesn’t have a negative downside.

That’s where we should focus our efforts.