The idea caught on in recent years after businesses were scrutinized following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and as researchers have found that more representative teams can lead to stronger profits.Īnd while conservatives have criticized DEI for allegedly giving minority groups preferential treatment, it has also faced blowback from those who’ve worked in the space for being a hollow effort many companies use to look better on these issues without fully investing in actions needed for systemic change.Ĭhick-fil-A has long had a reputation for anti-LGBTQ donations. It can include proposals aimed at growing diversity in recruitment, addressing pay disparities, or setting up employee support groups. The attacks on Chick-fil-A also come as conservatives are increasingly targeting companies, like Bud Light and Target, for promoting positions they disagree with, such as backing for LGBTQ rights and trans people.ĭEI, as the term suggests, is an overarching label for policies intended to make hiring, promotions, and staffing more equitable and representative.
A separate video from 2020 that features Chick-fil-A chair Dan Cathy talking about how white people should speak up about racial injustice toward Black people has also been critiqued. Given how recent the backlash has been, it’s not yet evident whether it has had any impact on the restaurant’s sales. Conservatives have also called out a Chick-fil-A webpage, which talks about being “better together” and establishing a “culture of belonging” among their concerns.įor now, the outrage appears to be confined mostly to social media, where prominent conservative commentators including Turning Point’s Charlie Kirk and Wade Miller, the head of the Citizens for Renewing America, which seeks to combat “woke” proposals, have weighed in. According to the LinkedIn page of Erick McReynolds, the business executive holding the role, he’s been the VP of DEI for more than a year and a half. It’s not clear why this specific issue has resurfaced on social media since it appears Chick-fil-A’s DEI hire was made months ago. Are we going to have to boycott?” conservative strategist Joey Mannarino wrote on Twitter. Despite Republicans’ longtime backing, the chain’s decision to employ a vice president of DEI has prompted backlash from some who now slam the company for being too “ woke” for considering policies that help support people of color and other underrepresented groups in the workplace. That focus burst into view this week as conservatives went after Chick-fil-A, a fast food restaurant they’ve often supported in the past given its Christian roots and its prior donations to anti-LGBTQ groups. DEI, short for diversity, equity, and inclusion, is the latest three-letter term to become a target of the right.
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