The NAACP is calling on Black Americans to stop shopping at major retailers that have rolled back their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The nation’s oldest civil rights organization launched its Black Consumer Advisory to educate Black consumers on which companies are supporting progress—and which are scaling back.
The advisory names companies that have reaffirmed their DEI initiatives, such as Delta Air Lines, Apple, and Ben & Jerry’s, while also calling out McDonald’s, Target, Walmart, Amazon, and Tractor Supply for reversing or weakening their diversity programs.
“We have the power to choose where we spend our money,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson wrote on social media. “I am confident that this framework will support our community as we make difficult decisions on where to spend our hard-earned money.”
The release of the Black Consumer Advisory follows a wave of corporate and government rollbacks of DEI policies, fueled by pressure from the Trump administration. Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing federal agencies to eliminate DEI programs and urging private companies to do the same.
Despite backlash from civil rights organizations, several corporate giants have dismantled or reduced their DEI efforts, many of which were initially pledged after the social unrest of 2020. The NAACP argues that these rollbacks reinforce historical barriers to progress while being framed as efforts to “protect meritocracy.”
“Many corporations continue to profit from Black dollars while simultaneously undermining commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” the advisory states. “These rollbacks not only harm Black communities, professionals, and entrepreneurs but also erode the progress made toward creating equitable economic and social systems.”
The NAACP is urging Black Americans to take action, calling for consumers to support businesses that maintain and expand DEI programs, prioritize investment in Black communities, and hold corporations accountable for abandoning their diversity efforts.
“We’re done with empty and broken promises,” said Keisha Bross, NAACP’s director of opportunity, race, and justice. “This is a call for corporations and individuals to buy in to the values and principles that reflect our interests.”
