On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a white police officer in Minneapolis. The tragedy sparked national outrage and a resurgence of the Black Lives Matter movement, as people took to the streets of major cities across the country to protest and demand justice.
Brands reacted, too. Companies including Walmart, Target, and Starbucks launched commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and beyond, implementing inclusive hiring goals and making long-term investments in internal racial equity programs as well as supporting initiatives within underserved communities.
Five years on, with an executive order from President Donald Trump in place to “end radical and wasteful government DEI programs and preferencing,” the majority of 2020 pledges made by brands have disappeared.
For Sheryl Daija, founder and CEO of global DEI marketing trade group BRIDGE, brands’ initial pledges, specifically in support of the Black community, were well-intentioned, but DEI has since evolved from a practice to a buzzword, and now something more political.
“The
