Black Churches Lead Charge to Defend DEI as Trump, Corporations Retreat

Black church leaders are ramping up pressure on corporate America as many companies scale back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. According to POLITICO, the effort comes in direct response to President Donald Trump’s renewed push against DEI and amid concern over his growing appeal among Black and Latino voters.

“Diversity, equity and inclusion is not charity. It’s not a handout,” said Rev. Jamal Bryant, a Georgia pastor who led a boycott of Target after the company cut back its DEI commitments in January. “If you can take our dollars, why won’t you stand with us?”

Since the 2020 murder of George Floyd, major corporations pledged to support racial equity. But in the wake of Trump’s return to office, many have rolled back those promises. Trump signed an executive order eliminating DEI programs from the federal workplace, calling them “dangerous” and “immoral.”

“President Trump is bringing back common sense,” White House Assistant Press Secretary Liz Huston said in a statement. “Performance-driven companies see the value in his policies.”

In response, Black clergy are organizing consumer boycotts. Bryant’s movement, backed by 2,000 churches, has drawn more than 200,000 supporters. Dollar General is now the next target.

Rev. Frederick Haynes of Dallas' Friendship-West Baptist Church said companies must recognize their “moral responsibility” to support inclusive policies. “You don’t have a United States without diversity,” he said.

Dollar General responded by stating it serves customers “from all backgrounds” and continues to evolve its programs “in support of all stakeholders.”

Rev. Al Sharpton, who supports the boycotts, is organizing a rally on Wall Street on Aug. 28 — the anniversary of the March on Washington. “If you don’t want diversity in your boardroom,” he said, “you won’t have it in your consumer base.”

Still, sustaining public focus is a challenge, Sharpton noted. “Trump is so good at flooding the zone, people forget they’re not supposed to shop at that store.”

Dr. Adam Clark of Xavier University warned the church can't fight alone. “Trump has the authority to make this a national issue,” he said. “The church doesn’t have the capacity to overturn it by itself.”