Walmart abandons Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, recognizing that division only creates more division

It appears that DEI is on the decline, with major companies realizing that dividing people only leads to further division.

Joining the ranks of Ford, Google, Meta, and Tesla, Walmart is the latest company to follow the trend of cutting back on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

Recently, Walmart announced to Fox Business that it is discontinuing its Racial Equity Center, which was established in 2020 for a trial period of five years, and is removing the term “Latinx” from corporate communications, as only 4% of Hispanics use this term themselves.

Walmart is now moving away from the concept of “DEI” and focusing more on promoting a sense of “belonging” instead of emphasizing “diversity.” This decision makes Walmart the largest company to shift away from DEI practices.

Interestingly, a study from Rutgers University revealed that DEI initiatives may actually heighten racial tensions and animosity, despite their intended purpose of reducing them, by purposefully highlighting members of minority groups.

Individuals exposed to divisive content surrounding race and religion, including works by authors like Ibram X. Kendi and Robin DiAngelo, experienced a significant increase in “hostility” and “punitive attitudes” towards other groups.

Furthermore, these individuals were more prone to perceiving prejudice where it did not exist and showing a desire to penalize alleged offenders.

The researchers at Rutgers indicate that the New York Times and Bloomberg initially expressed interest in covering their study, but the stories were later retracted “at the highest editorial levels,” as reported by the National Review.

These findings are not entirely new. An article from the Harvard Business Review back in 2016 predicted that “the positive effects of diversity training rarely last beyond a day or two and could potentially activate bias or evoke a negative reaction.”

Considering these factors, it becomes evident that introducing DEI initiatives into the workplace may not be the most effective or cost-efficient strategy.

Corporate entities are beginning to realize that DEI practices are both costly and ineffective. In 2020, companies reportedly spent $7.5 billion on DEI initiatives, only to continue investing in them with little return on investment.

This misstep in business decisions was largely driven by the mass hysteria of 2020, triggered by events like the murder of George Floyd and nationwide Black Lives Matter protests, which led companies to hastily adopt DEI measures to avoid backlash from social media and employees.

DEI consultants promised corporations a solution to their problems: Hire us, and we’ll ensure your company is officially anti-racist.

Despite 52% of American workers still being subject to DEI training, as per a 2023 Pew survey, the outcomes have not been as expected, as evidenced by the recent findings from Rutgers University.

Work environments have become more divided, race-conscious, and less united. In hindsight, there is no worse way to foster teamwork than by constantly highlighting individuals’ differences and accusing certain members of holding “implicit biases” or committing “microaggressions” against others.

Finally, companies like Walmart are retracting from what was essentially moral coercion during the era of the anti-racist movement.

While it is inappropriate to pit adult coworkers against each other in this manner, the negative ramifications of DEI are even more pronounced when applied to children. Schools have also become breeding grounds for divisive “diversity” training.

As a Gen Z individual, I have firsthand experience with this. When I was 14 years old attending a boarding school in New Jersey, my freshman class was segregated by race into separate buildings for discussions on racial experiences through “affinity groups” on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

What happened to judging others based on the content of their character?

Over the four years of my time on campus, where DEI was heavily emphasized, the social dynamics within my class of 200 noticeably became more segregated by race, as the adults at our school consistently emphasized our differences rather than our similarities.

Subjecting teenagers to racial distinctions is morally wrong, and unfortunately, that’s just the beginning.

Advocate Ibram X. Kendi achieved bestseller status with his book “Antiracist Baby,” which aims to “empower parents and children to eradicate racism in our society and within ourselves,” as stated on his website.

The narrative put forth by antiracist advocates implies that even infants possess inherent racism that must be eliminated—at the cost of a $10.99 book.

While significant progress has been made towards equality in our nation, DEI is now instilling in the next generation a focus on individuals’ unchangeable characteristics rather than their shared values.

Today, young people of all backgrounds have more rights and opportunities than ever before. Yet, they are being taught by DEI proponents, masquerading as champions of inclusion, that they are victims of widespread exclusion.

Despite presenting itself as a progressive movement, DEI is in fact regressive. It is high time for both corporations and our educational institutions to move away from it completely.