These Major Corporations Refuse To Ditch DEI Initiatives

Costco is joined by Delta and the Cleveland Cavaliers in doubling down on DEI.

The elimination of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs is not the norm for all major corporations.

Big-name businesses like Delta and Costco are retaining its DEI policies. In a conference call earlier this month, Delta Air Lines’ chief legal officer Peter Carter said the airline remains “steadfast in our [DEI] commitments because we think that they are actually critical to our business. Sustainability is about being more efficient in our operations.”

Kevin Clayton, executive vice president and chief equity and impact officer for the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, said:

“We believe that everybody in our organization, every person in our community, is part of our diversity, equity, and inclusion story. So, it’s not about any one group. This work is about humanity. We know that our platform is one that can uplift our community—everyone in our community.”

Costco was one of the first companies to publicly announce its continued efforts to create a more equitable workplace. In a board vote, 98% of the members opted to maintain the current practices.

“Our commitment to an enterprise rooted in respect and inclusion is appropriate and necessary,” the company’s board of directors said in a statement.

Beyond the ethical and moral reasons to keep DEI in place, the move is also good business.

According to a 2023 study by McKinsey, companies that actively engage with DEI policies and initiatives perform better financially. Companies with gender-diverse boards are 27% more likely to outperform, and those with ethnically diverse boards are 13% more likely to do so.

The Trump administration has shown no concern over those statistics. The elimination or promotion of DEI at the federal level will not affect the amount of tax money the government receives. There is no financial incentive for the administration to continue the practice.

Implementing DEI is about ethics and morality. The policies ensure that marginalized Americans have an opportunity to engage in the free market without discrimination. Many have already been affected by the attack on these policies, including women of all races, disabled persons, veterans, and the elderly.

Companies and the federal government no longer need to consider qualified minorities and give them the opportunities they deserve. In fact, the White House statement takes a perverse view of denying minorities the chance for equity, invoking the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

“Reversing the progress made in the decades since the Civil Rights Act of 1964 toward a colorblind and competence-based workplace, radical DEI has dangerously tainted many of our critical businesses and influential institutions, including the federal government,” a White House spokesperson said.

While the government continues to push the idea of DEI as a “dangerous” and discriminatory practice, companies are seeing through the rhetoric and ensuring that the process of equity is observed and implemented.