The Promotion of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Corporations, and the Importance of the Black Consumer Advisory

WHEREAS, After the 2020 racial protests over the murder of George Floyd, Black and Brown people took to the streets to seek racial equity and justice. Companies saw a business opportunity and pledged to invest over $200 billion in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives to address hiring, social investments, corporate procurement, and Black-owned businesses; and 

WHEREAS, In 2024, due to political influence social media influencers, and private-sector lawsuits, multiple corporations – large and small, began to dismantle Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion commitments and to make public statements disavowing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Despite the empirical evidence on the positive effects of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, business leaders retracted commitments to avoid risk, fearing legal exposure and reputational risk; and 

WHEREAS, Multiple businesses have quietly eliminated their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, including layoffs of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officers, elimination of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training programs, and removal of diverse applicant requirements from scholarships, internships, and grants, to avoid legal exposure. These rollbacks harm not only Black communities, professionals, and entrepreneurs, but also erode the progress made toward creating equitable economic and social systems; and 

WHEREAS, In light of recent actions by the current administration to disincentivize, intimidate corporations Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts, it is even more critical to require independent, data-driven audits to guard against political interference and protect long-term efforts toward racial equity in the private sector; and 

WHEREAS, A Nielsen report states that Black buying power is $1.7 trillion and is projected to top $2 trillion by 2026. Nearly five out of ten African Americans are open to trying new branded products; and 

WHEREAS, The NAACP issued the Black Consumer Advisory, a policy document, to inform and caution Black consumers about the ongoing and intentional rollback of nationwide diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments and to encourage Black and Brown consumers to spend money where they are respected, support Black-owned businesses, and demand that businesses prioritize people over profit.  

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP will continue to place pressure on corporations to affirm their commitments to protect and preserve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs implicating hiring, data collection, corporate procurement, social investments, and the display of transparent diverse data results in a publicly available format. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP will continue to support legislation and to advocate for federal enforcement mechanisms requiring publicly traded companies to conduct annual, independent racial equity audits and publicly disclose findings related to hiring practices, leadership diversity, pay equity, supply chain investments, and historical financial ties to systems of racial oppression. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the NAACP commits to share information on its website based on data and research about corporate practices involving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the purpose of providing resources on where Black and Brown consumers can find Black-owned business options. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, the NAACP will work with its units to provide guidance and insight into addressing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion issues at the state level. 

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, the NAACP demands that federal, state, and local governments support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts that broaden opportunity, increase fairness, and commit to advocating for the reinstatement of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs in the public and private sector.