McDonald's announced Monday that it is abandoning some of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, joining a growing list of major companies abandoning policies amid intense public scrutiny.
fast food chain announcement said it would “retire” its “ambitious representation goals,” rebrand its diversity team as the “global inclusion team,” and scrap its diversity pledge for suppliers. The company said it remains committed to “inclusion” across its operations.
“As we enter the new year and define our ambitions for McDonald’s, we would also like to update you on our progress in embedding inclusion across our systems and highlight some key changes to our approach.” says the statement. “We are also pleased to introduce a new concept: the power of our ‘Golden Rule’ to always treat everyone with dignity, fairness and respect. Over the past few months, a small team has been working to refine our language to better understand McDonald's commitment to inclusion. ”
McDonald's “supports a more integrated conversation with our suppliers about inclusion as it relates to performance,” suspends its DEI pledge, and is “committed to continuing to embed inclusion practices that grow our business.” said in the announcement.
A customer enters a McDonald's restaurant on July 22, 2024 in Burbank, California. (Photo courtesy of Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The fast food giant also boasted that it has already achieved several of its diversity goals, including achieving “pay equity” and “strong leadership diversity,” according to the announcement. (Related: Red State University Pours Millions into DEI, Hosts Federally Funded 'Non-Binary' Rock Climbing Program)
McDonald said legal issues surrounding DEI in universities, particularly the Supreme Court case that ruled race as an admissions factor unconstitutional, contributed to the decision.
While Walmart made headlines in November when it announced it would rescind some of its superstore DEI policies and stop offering transgender products to minors, Costco has doubled down on its efforts. Some universities, including the University of Michigan, are working to eliminate DEI programs, many in response to state laws prohibiting discriminatory practices.
The calls for companies to take a step back from DEI come as several studies paint a grim picture of the program, saying it makes people more likely to agree with Adolf Hitler's statements about race. This came after suggesting it may not be able to improve outcomes for non-white people or increase the number of non-white people. Diversity and race relations.
McDonald's did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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