In another win for conservative activist Robby Starbuck, Lowe’s became the latest major company to abandon DEI policies. “I messaged @Lowes executives last week to let them know that I planned to expose their woke policies. This morning I woke up to an email where they preemptively made big changes,” Starbuck said. Per Robby Starbuck: Here are the changes: • Ending participation in the @HRC’s woke Corporate Equality Index social credit system. • No more donations to pride events or other divisive events. • Ending ERG groups in favor of one large unifying ERG group for all employees, no longer designed to focus on race or sexual orientation. They also hint at more future changes. We’re now forcing multi-billion dollar organizations to change their policies without even posting just from fear they have of being the next company that we expose. We are winning and one by one we WILL bring sanity back to corporate America. So far you’ve helped me change corporate policy at Tractor Supply, John Deere, Harley Davidson, Polaris, Indian Motorcycle and now Lowe’s. We are a force to be reckoned with. WATCH: Big news: I messaged @Lowes executives last week to let them know that I planned to expose their woke policies. This morning I woke up to an email where they preemptively made big changes. Here are the changes: • Ending participation in the @HRC’s woke Corporate Equality Index… pic.twitter.com/qOUr2JLGV7 — Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 26, 2024 From the New York Post: Home improvement retailer Lowe’s has scrapped some of its diversity, equity and inclusion programs, becoming the latest US firm to modify such policies meant to boost racial and ethnic representation. Lowe’s will no longer participate in surveys for Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group supporting transgender rights, and is also combining its various business resource groups that represent diverse employees into one umbrella organization, an internal memo obtained by Reuters on Monday showed. The company will not be sponsoring or participating in community events such as parades, festivals, or fairs and might also make additional changes to the policies over time, according to the memo, which was confirmed by a company spokesperson. Over the past few years, companies including JPMorgan Chase have faced a larger conservative backlash against diversity initiatives which multiplied after widespread protests following the police killings of George Floyd and other black Americans in 2020. I really want to thank Shirley and Erica from the @Lowes DEI team. Without them both going to visit my profile on July 9th, I never would have looked at Lowe’s as a target to investigate. Thanks for unintentionally tipping us off and helping us kill woke policies/events @Lowes! https://t.co/XT63nI9X4b pic.twitter.com/EIu3zJHNUc — Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) August 27, 2024 Lowe’s becomes latest company to end DEI policies amid growing backlash https://t.co/QHsUBdXxh3 pic.twitter.com/cgXrt1JQH2 — New York Post (@nypost) August 26, 2024 Per NBC News: Though some media reports suggested Lowe’s was reversing its diversity efforts writ large, the changes appear to specifically target LGBTQ representation. Lowe’s has previously earned plaudits as a diversity champion — and earned a perfect score in HRC’s most recent corporate equity index that examines its policies protecting LGBTQ workers. Since 2018, Lowe’s has been led by an African American CEO, Marvin Ellison; in June, Ellison was named Ethical Leader of the Year by the Society for Human Resource Management, the nation’s largest HR organization. As of Tuesday morning, Lowe’s continued to operate a webpage dedicated to its diversity efforts. “We’re committed to fostering a culture where every member of the Lowe’s team truly feels they belong,” it states. “When associates can be their authentic selves at work, they perform at their best — and when that happens, we all win.” That page features a quote from its director of human resources that states: “On our team, we care about the whole you. We’ve built an environment where different viewpoints and backgrounds are respected and valued.”