Fifteen Percent Pledge Founder Aurora James Addresses DEI Rollbacks, Consumer Boycotts

Despite recent DEI rollbacks, The Fifteen Percent Pledge maintains almost 30 retailers. And James plans to double down on her organization's mission

In a discussion with Fortune, fashion designer Aurora James said her non-profit, The Fifteen Percent Pledge, has not experienced any retailers or other companies bowing out of their commitments to the organization amid DEI rollbacks.

James started The Fifteen Percent Pledge in Many 2020 after she challenged major retailers and corporations to support its mission and dedicate 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned brands in an effort to create a more equitable economic future.

Despite orders like the Supreme Court’s 2023 decision to end affirmative action and President Donald Trump’s executive orders, which targeted DEI initiatives in government, The Fifteen Percent Pledge maintains over 28 retailers, which include Sephora, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Ulta Beauty, and Victoria’s Secret.

According to the organization’s website, the pledge has shifted nearly $14 billion of revenue to Black-owned brands.

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James said that Target’s January announcement to roll back its DEI programs was a major change. “The first idea that I had for The Fifteen Percent Pledge was because I was on the phone with someone talking about Target,” she said. “They’re based in this city where George Floyd was murdered [Minneapolis]. The pledge has had a fairly public ongoing discourse with them because they always refused to take the pledge. And I think that’s because [DEI] was largely optic [for the company].”

The idea that DEI is solely about offering opportunities to people based on gender and skin color is a huge misconception, James said. “That’s really not what it’s about. It’s about creating a diverse meritocracy…casting an incredibly wide net and including people that normally don’t have access to shoot their shot.”

She believes there is power in consumer boycotts with the number of consumers that refuse to spend their hard-earned dollars in stores that fail to align with their values. A survey conducted by The Fifteen Percent Pledge and the Global Strategy Group revealed that 61% of registered voters said it was necessary that companies they purchase from actively support DEI initiatives, while 40% said they would fall back on purchasing from companies that decide to roll back or eliminate DEI programs.

“If we look ahead a decade, right, we’re going to see that a lot of these companies that haven’t embraced diverse thought are going to really struggle,” James said. She believes small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, and as a founder of color, she plans to double down and continue to support the partners of The Fifteen Percent Pledge.