Push to support Black-owned businesses intensifies amid DEI rollbacks
As shoppers pledge to boycott many big name retailers like Target and Walmart over their decision to discontinue Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, many Black shoppers are wondering how to support Black-owned businesses instead.
The National NAACP issued a Black Consumer Advisory on Feb. 15 encouraging Black consumers to “spend your money where you’re respected, support Black- owned businesses, and demand businesses prioritize people over profit.”
In its advisory, members of the NAACP leadership indicated the nationwide rollback of DEI policies is eliminating DEI-related positions that allowed Black professionals to advance; reducing supplier diversity, which could lead to fewer contracts for Black-owned businesses; leading to a decline in investments to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs); and shifting away from equitable hiring practices that sought to diversify leadership…