Fast food giant McDonald’s is reportedly ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, citing the Supreme Court recently banning affirmative action (racial preferences) in admissions at university.
In a lengthy open letter signed by McDonald’s leadership team, the fast food giant said that while it remains steadfast in its commitment to inclusion, it will roll back some of its DEI initiatives. According to the Associated Press:
McDonald’s announced Monday that it would withdraw its specific goals aimed at achieving diversity at senior management levels. It also plans to end a program that encourages its suppliers to develop diversity training and increase the number of members of minority groups represented within their own management ranks.
McDonald’s said it would also suspend “external investigations.” THE giant hamburger did not give details, but several other companies, including Lowes And Ford Motor Co.., suspended their participation in an annual survey in the Human Rights Campaign which measures workplace inclusion of LGBTQ+ employees.
The company, however, reiterated that its commitment to “inclusion” remains unwavering.
“Inclusion is one of our core values and in 2024 we opened our doors to hundreds of millions of customers and two million crew members from all walks of life. Everyone is welcome under our Golden Arches, and this widespread appeal is why McDonald’s is one of the world’s most loved brands,” he said in the open letter.
This change comes four years after McDonald’s announced a series of DEI initiatives following employees. sue for sexual harassment and another lawsuit filed by several black former franchise owners alleging discrimination within the company.
“As a leading global brand that holds inclusion as one of our core values, we will accept nothing less than real, measurable progress in our efforts to lead with empathy, treat people with dignity and respect and seek diverse perspectives to drive better decision-making,” McDonald’s Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski wrote in a LinkedIn post at the time.
In its open letter, McDonald’s cited the recent Supreme Court ruling that banned racial preferences in college admissions (affirmative action) as part of its decision to restrict some of its initiatives.
“We have also assessed the evolving legal landscape to anticipate the impact this decision could have on companies such as McDonald’s. And finally, we compared our approach to that of other companies who are also re-evaluating their own programs,” he says.
Several major U.S. companies have backed away from their DEI policies over the past year, a move that has only accelerated with President-elect Donald Trump’s landslide victory over Vice President Kamala Harris. As Breitbart News reported in November, Walmart announced “it would remove sexual and transgender products allegedly marketed to children and review subsidies for LGBTQI+ events to avoid funding sexualized content targeting children.”
“In October, Toyota announced that it would no longer sponsor LGBTQ parades and events and would no longer make efforts to promote DEI,” the report noted. “The automaker will no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index and other corporate surveys.”
“Many other major companies, including Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, Ford Motor Co., Tractor Supply and Jack Daniel’s, have also left the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index,” he adds.
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