Detroit-based auto giant Ford said it was scaling back its DEI initiatives and dropping its participation in the LGBTQ-backed Corporate Equality Index, joining several other high-profile companies that have recently scaled back controversial programs, the company's president said in a statement.
Robbie Starbuck, the right-wing influencer who launched a successful social media campaign to get companies to abandon their diversity, equity and inclusion policies, posted a statement on his X account on Wednesday announcing a change of policy from Ford CEO Jim Farley.
Farley's memo to employees, which was verified as authentic, said Ford would “stop participating in external culture studies, such as the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index, as well as various Best Companies to Work For lists.”
The Human Rights Campaign, one of the nation's largest LGBTQ advocacy groups, developed the index as a “national benchmarking tool for corporate policies, practices and benefits related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer employees.”
Farley also said the company would reallocate some of its corporate sponsorships and promised to refrain from commenting on “many of the divisive issues of the day.”
“We recognize that our employees and clients hold a wide range of beliefs,” Farley wrote, “and the external and legal environment related to political and social issues continues to change.”
The Post has reached out to Ford and HRC for comment.
Starbuck said the memo was sent as a precaution out of “fear that they might be the next company we go after.”
“Corporate America is coming to its senses,” Starbucks triumphantly declared to X's 585,000 followers.
In the past few months, companies including Tractor Supply, John Deere, Harley-Davidson, Polaris, Indian Motorcycle and Lowe's have scrapped or revised their DEI initiatives in the wake of Starbucks' pressure campaign.
Following the police-involved death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020, companies across the U.S. announced their commitment to DEI.
Ford is one of many companies that has committed to furthering DEI initiatives and strengthening ERGs, particularly those representing underrepresented communities.
The company's philanthropic arm, the Ford Foundation, has also donated hundreds of millions of dollars to racial justice organizations in the wake of Floyd's death.
Rival automaker General Motors has spent at least $110 million on DEI and other awareness-raising efforts since 2020, according to its own public disclosures.
of The company donated $10 million In 2020, it will be making grants “to support organizations that advance inclusion” through a dedicated “Justice and Inclusion Fund.”
