WTOP reports that civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton has called for a boycott of all companies eliminating diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives after President Donald Trump issued an executive order to end DEI programs on the federal level.
During the National Action Network’s (NAN) rally at the Metropolitan AME Church in Washington, D.C., on Martin Luther King Day, Sharpton touched on Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy and his issue with eliminating practices deflecting from it.
“Martin Luther King Jr. gave his life, shed blood and died to open up America for everybody. Blacks, whites, gays, straight—it didn’t matter,” Sharpton said. “DEI was a remedy to the racial institutional bigotry practiced in academia and in these corporations.”
The rally took place just miles away from the inauguration.
Trump said he feels the target of DEI programs is to “socially engineer race and gender into every aspect of public and private life.” However, the definition of DEI relates to providing a more inclusive and equitable society.
Since the Supreme Court’s controversial ruling to overturn affirmative action in college admission practices, dozens of Fortune 500 companies, including Walmart, Harley-Davidson, McDonalds and Meta, have eliminated DEI programs established years ago.
According to Fox News, Sharpton sent a message to anti-DEI participants, reminding them why it was put in place to begin with. “Why do we have DEI? We have DEI because you denied us diversity, you denied us equity, you denied us inclusion. DEI was a remedy to the racial institutionalized bigotry practice in academia and in these corporations.”
“Now, if you want to put us
back in the back of the bus, we are going to do the Dr. King-Rosa Parks on you,” he added. “You must have forgot who we are. We are the ones that you took everything, and we are still here.”Sharpton announced NAN will curate a study that investigates companies swaying from such policies.
“In 90 days, we are going to announce the two companies that we’re going after, and we’re going to ask everybody in this country—Black, white, brown, gay, straight woman, trans—don’t buy where you are not respected,” Sharpton said.
Sharpton is open to continuing the DEI discussion with leaders, including Trump—but not without other civil rights leaders present. “I will not do a photo op,” he said.
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