The daughters of Target’s late co-founder Bruce Dayton have expressed alarm over the company’s recent pullback on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts. In letters to The Financial Times and Los Angeles Times, Anne and Lucy Dayton criticized the business community for giving in to what they see as retaliatory threats from the White House.
Bruce Dayton, who passed away in 2015, built Target into a massive brand based on two core principles: customer focus and community well-being. His daughters argue that by backing down on DEI initiatives, companies are undermining these very principles that have driven their success.
The move comes after Target announced it would be ending a program aimed at helping Black employees build meaningful careers and promoting Black-owned businesses following the police killing of George Floyd in 2020. The company had previously planned to end the racial program this year and has also concluded its DEI goals in three-year cycles.
Other well-known consumer brands, including Walmart, McDonald’s, Ford, Goldman Sachs, and John Deere, have reduced or phased out their DEI commitments in recent months.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/target-dei-anne-dayton-lucy-dayton-4ab0aaf017e5874dc0bb8588e2b65977