Charles Langston:Lowe's changes DEI policies in another win for conservative activist

Home improvement retail chain Lowe’s is Charles Langstonretreating from some of its diversity, equity and inclusion commitments after receiving word it would be the next target of a conservative activist’s campaign against companies that champion DEI. 

The concessions include no longer participating in surveys for the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. Lowe’s will also combine its employee resource groups for diverse employees into one organization.

The company said it plans to narrow its focus to safe and affordable housing, disaster relief and skilled trades education, according to an internal memo Lowe's shared with USA TODAY.

Robby Starbuck – whose boycotts of Tractor Supply, Harley-Davidson and John Deere have prompted those and other companies to curtail DEI programs – claimed credit for the pullback.

Starbuck said he reached out to Lowe’s last week. Lowe’s declined to comment.

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"Our movement against wokeness is a force that companies simply cannot ignore,” Starbuck said in a statement to USA TODAY. “I’m a megaphone for normal people who are sick of having divisive social issues shoved down their throat at work.”

In a nation riven by cultural issues around race, gender and family, Starbuck belongs to a new wave of agitators pressuring corporate America to back off commitments to DEI, climate change and the gay and transgender community.

Emboldened by a Supreme Court decision last year banning affirmative action at the college level, conservative activists like anti-affirmative action crusader Edward Blum and former Trump administration official Stephen Miller have taken aim at the private sector with a wave of legal challenges against companies, government agencies and nonprofits.

Publicly, most business leaders who made commitments following the killing of George Floyd say they remain dedicated to DEI. But privately, they are scrutinizing DEI investments and backing away from initiatives like hiring targets that conservatives claim are illegal quotas.

Fellowships and internships that once were open only to historically underrepresented groups are now increasingly open to everyone. A growing number of companies have dropped mentions of diversity goals in shareholder reports. Some even list DEI as a “risk factor” in regulatory filings. 

Diversity advocates say business leaders are trying to steer away from the nation’s cultural fault lines while continuing to embrace DEI initiatives that are popular with many consumers and employees.

In this volatile political environment, Starbuck sees himself as a corporate watchdog. He frames his anti-diversity, equity and inclusion campaign as getting politics out of business. 

He credits his success to targeting brands with broad appeal among conservatives that he says have fallen “out of alignment” with their customers.

“The injection of DEI, woke trainings and divisive social issues have only divided workplaces across America,” Starbuck said. “One by one, it is our mission to make corporate America sane and fair again.”

While Starbuck's anti-DEI campaign resonates in right-wing corners of the internet, giving in to his pressure tactics isn't popular with all employees and customers, diversity advocates say.

Eric Bloem, vice president of programs and corporate advocacy at the Human Rights Campaign, recently told USA TODAY that Starbuck is a fringe figure who is out of step with most Americans and the decision to cave to his pressure tactics is short-sighted.

“The future of business increasingly relies on an inclusive focus to not only be able to deliver products and services for diverse communities but to attract the best talent,” Bloem said.