Fortune 1000 companies are being urged by civil rights groups to halt their abandonment of DEI initiatives.

• On Thursday, a letter signed by twenty civil rights organizations urged Fortune 1000 CEOs and board members to uphold diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.
• The Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, GLSEN, National Urban League, National Women's Law Center, PFLAG, SAGE, UnidosUS and other organizations have signed a statement in support of LGBTQ+ rights.
• After companies such as Ford, Tractor Supply, and Harley Davidson scaled back their DEI initiatives, a letter was sent.

A group of 20 civil rights organizations sent a letter to Fortune 1000 companies on Thursday, urging them to renew their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, following the example of several major companies that have reduced their efforts in this area.

After businesses such as and announced plans to change or entirely end their internal DEI initiatives, a call to action has been issued.

"The authors of the letter warned that neglecting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) would have lasting effects on business prosperity, as it would lead to a breach of fiduciary responsibility to employees, customers, and shareholders."

The letter states that these decisions make workplaces less safe and less inclusive for hard-working Americans.

Since March, some corporations have been working on their DEI efforts, which increased in 2020 after the killing of George Floyd sparked a national reckoning over racial injustice. Legal experts saw the Supreme Court's ruling on affirmative action as a guide for targeting private corporations prioritizing diversity. While some right-wing activists have claimed credit for pressuring companies to make changes on social media, several corporations have stated that these changes have been in the works since March.

Tractor Supply, a rural retailer, started a trend by cutting ties with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), an LGBTQ+ advocacy group that is one of the letter's signatories.

Several companies, including Molson Coors, Ford, and others, have announced that they will no longer provide data to the Corporate Equality Index, a widely respected measure of which companies best meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community.

Last week, on CNBC's "Squawk Box," HRC President Kelley Robinson argued that there is a compelling argument for diversity in the workplace based on business principles.

"According to Robinson, consumers are twice as likely to prefer purchasing from brands that support their community. This, he believes, is the most effective approach for businesses and is why there is a growing movement among employees, consumers, and shareholders to challenge such decisions."

The National LGBT Chamber of Commerce reported that LGBTQ+ consumers have $1.4 trillion of buying power, and Robinson argued that moving away from DEI is a "wrong decision for business."

The HRC reduced Corporate Equality Index scores for companies that withdrew DEI commitments by 25 points.

The deduction results in a decrease in the Corporate Equality Index scores of Brown-Forman, Lowe's, Ford, and Molson Coors from 100 to 75, while Tractor Supply & John Deere fall from 95 to 70. Additionally, 's score drops from 45 to 20.

The companies mentioned in the article did not promptly provide a response when asked for comment.

The civil rights groups contended that retreating from DEI would harm their consumer image and jeopardize their ability to retain top talent in their workforce.

Neglecting to recruit and retain top talent is a financial duty that businesses have, and those that exclude women, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ people are failing in this duty.

"Business leaders should publicly defend pro-business decisions that promote inclusion."

The full text of the letter and list of signatories is below.

While diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are widely accepted and beneficial for businesses, a small and well-funded group of right-wing activists are pushing to persuade companies to abandon their DEI programs.

Some CEOs have recently announced their company's divestment from diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

The capitulations weaken businesses and the American economy more broadly, while shortsighted decisions make workplaces less safe and inclusive for hard-working Americans. This exposes businesses to legal risk by increasing the likelihood of bias and discrimination within organizations.

Neglecting DEI will have long-term consequences on business success, including shirking fiduciary responsibility to employees, consumers, and shareholders. Failing to recruit and retain top talent from across the full talent pool will limit a company's performance overall.

A McKinsey & Company 2020 report found that companies with higher levels of gender and ethnic diversity are 12% more likely to outperform all other companies. However, companies that lag behind on diversity have seen a larger penalty, with those in the bottom quartile underperforming all other companies by 27%.

Your employees do not support the criticality of the decisions related to diversity and inclusion, as per an Edelman survey in 2024, which found that 60% of people believe an inclusive work culture with a well-supported diversity program is essential to attract and retain them as employees, up 9 points from 2022. On the other hand, only 16% of employees believe focusing on DEI is a bad thing, according to Pew.

Diversifying consumer segments, including women, people of color, people with disabilities, and the LGBTQ+ community, is crucial for businesses to remain competitive in the global market. Women control an estimated two-thirds of global consumer spending and are projected to control two-thirds of all consumer wealth within the next decade, with estimates ranging from $12 trillion to $40 trillion. Today, Black consumers hold $1.7 trillion in purchasing power and the LGBTQ+ community wields $1.4 trillion in spending power.

Future-proofing businesses involves recognizing the growing diversity of consumers and employees. Specifically, one-in-four GenZers are Hispanic, 14% are Black, 6% are Asian, 5% are some other race or multiple races, and 30% are LGBTQ+ identified. Additionally, the disabled population in the United States has grown, from 61 million in 2018 to 70 million in 2024, or more than 1 in 4 Americans (28.7%). This immense financial influence by populations often served by DEI programs is seen across various sectors, from consumer goods to financial services, demonstrating that DEI is a critical driver of business.

As business leaders who helped create DEI programs, we know that abandoning efforts to ensure fair, safe, and inclusive work environments is not only bad for business but also unpopular and unwise. We have evidence to show that it is good business to prioritize DEI.

We urge business leaders and corporate board members to take charge at this time.

When diversity, equity, and inclusion are threatened by politically motivated forces, CEOs and corporate board members must defend them without hesitation. It is important to note that women, people of color, and disabled workers are not making political statements when they advocate for equal policies, benefits, and treatment. By abandoning best practices to support these workers, you not only surrender to political pressures and ignore what's best for your business, but you also expose your company to the risks of discrimination and bias.

We invite your partnership and recognize the severe risks posed by malicious actors, which affect us all. Abandoning long-standing commitments only strengthens the hands of those who endanger your employees and clients. We urge business leaders to publicly defend decades of pro-business decisions that promote diversity and inclusion. By working together, your respected voices will safeguard the business community from anti-business, politically motivated extremists.

• Advocates for Trans Equality
• American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
• Asian Americans Advancing Justice - AAJC
• Asians Fighting Injustice
• Color Of Change
• Family Equality
• GLAAD
• GLSEN
• Human Rights Campaign
• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
• NAACP
• National Action Network
• National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE)
• National Organization for Women
• National Partnership for Women & Families
• National Urban League
• National Women's Law Center
• PFLAG National
• SAGE
• UnidosUS