DEI Initiatives Under Fire at Companies After Affirmative Action Ban

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion divisions have been increasingly diminished at companies such as Tractor Supply, Ford Motors and Meta, coming after numerous lawsuits have been filed against the companies.

With companies pulling back on their DE&I efforts, employees wonder what this will mean for them in the future. Credit: fauxels on Pexels

Since the unprecedented Supreme Court ruling in June 2024 that banned affirmative action in college admissions, deeming it unconstitutional, large corporations have been pulling back on their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts. 

Companies such as Tractor Supply, John Deere, Ford Motors, Meta, Google and Microsoft have all dialed back on their involvement with DEI, and in some cases, eliminated positions altogether. 

This is partially fueled by lawsuits aiming to target and take down DEI in the workplace. A total of 68 lawsuits have been filed against companies’ DEI programs since the affirmative action decision went into effect.

According to Edward Blum, a figurehead and longtime advocate for banning affirmative action, the court ruling is a “bless[ing]” and promotes ethnicity as a neutral factor, not allowing for it to “help them or harm them in life’s endeavors.” 

“They’re retreating from a commitment,” said Dr. Edward Antonio, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Marist College. “There is a DEI fatigue that has been politicized.”

These changes have left many confused, especially Antonio. “[I question] why anyone would walk away from a celebration of difference,” he said.

DEI was previously widely supported within corporations, but attitudes have since changed after the overturning of affirmative action. 

“It worries me because we know, just from looking at the numbers in the last year or so, that that decision has had important negative consequences for enrollment of students of color in elite colleges and universities,” said Antonio. 

The term “equity” in the DEI title has faced specific backlash. Organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management have rebranded it as Inclusion and Diversity, in order to emphasize their dedication to inclusion. This decision has prompted backlash from supporters of DEI, claiming that equity is what makes DEI “actionable.”

“If equity means fairness, then why would we want to walk away from equity?” said Antonio. “Think about what happened when George Floyd was murdered, the number of companies that stepped forward and pledged $260 billion for equity. In three years, we’re pulling back. Who are we? It’s bizarre.”

These changes have sparked outrage from several activist groups, such as GLAAD, The Human Rights Campaign and the National Black Farmers Association. Even customers of companies such as Tractor Supply have turned their back on such brands after these announcements.

When asked about how these changes will affect the Marist community, Antonio affirmed his dedication to the acceptance of differences.

“I want to lean into the values of this community, values of inclusion, values of belonging, a commitment to equity, the fact that we are not afraid of our differences,” he said. “Here we build community using this concept of rich relationships…let’s acknowledge our shared humanity.”