Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton has urged a nationwide boycott of companies that are discontinuing their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Speaking at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day rally in Washington, D.C., Sharpton framed the rollback of DEI programs as a regression to the era of segregation, invoking the imagery of Rosa Parks and the fight for civil rights. He argued that DEI programs were implemented to address historical and systemic inequities, not as preferential treatment.
Sharpton's organization, the National Action Network, plans to conduct a study over the next few months to examine the financial performance of companies that have scaled back their DEI commitments. Following the study, they intend to identify two specific companies as targets for the boycott, encouraging consumers of all backgrounds to withhold their patronage.
This call to action comes in the wake of several large corporations, including Walmart, McDonald's, Ford, and Meta, announcing reductions or eliminations of their DEI programs. Sharpton contrasted these actions with companies like Costco, which have maintained their DEI initiatives, urging support for businesses that uphold principles of inclusion.
Sharpton's remarks coincided with President Trump's inauguration and subsequent executive order to eliminate DEI programs across the federal government. Sharpton drew a parallel between the two events, positioning his call for boycotts as a continuation of Dr. King's fight for equality and inclusion.
Fox News Digital has contacted both MSNBC and Sharpton for further comment on this developing story.
