Joaquin Corbalan / stock.adobe.com
CV NEWSFEED // Ford confirmed that it is backing away from “woke” policies only days after Lowe’s announced changes to their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices.
Conservative commentator Robby Starbuck on Monday announced that Lowe’s had contacted him to “preemptively” make concessions ahead of his plan to call the company out online.
On Wednesday, Starbuck announced Ford’s plans to make similar changes to reflect their core consumer base.
“Big news,” Starbuck wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “We were in the middle of investigating woke policies [at Ford] but this morning Ford confirmed to me that they’re making changes.”
“Here are the changes,” Starbuck reported:
• Ending participation in the @HRC’s woke Corporate Equality Index social credit system.
•It sounds like there will be no more donations to pride events or other divisive events.
• ERG groups must be focused on business.
• No supplier or dealership diversity quotas.
• CEO calls for respect and civility toward all ideologies, hints at a merit-based approach.
In previous articles, CatholicVote has covered Starbuck’s successful campaign to change DEI culture in corporate America. The outspoken conservative filmmaker has already had success with John Deere, Harley-Davidson, and Tractor Supply.
This week appears to be Starbuck’s most successful week yet, with his work influencing changes in the company policies of both Lowe’s and Ford.
>> JULY: HARLEY-DAVIDSON BLASTED FOR GOING WOKE <<
The “Built in America” company is closely tied to both Harley-Davidson and John Deere. Ford CEO John Farley serves on Harley-Davidson’s Board of Directors and John Deere CEO John C. May is a standing member of Ford’s Board of Directors. Both men are already familiar with Starbuck’s work.
“This isn’t everything we want but it’s a great start,” wrote Starbuck on Wednesday. “We’re now forcing multi-billion dollar organizations to change their policies without even posting just from fear they have of being the next company that we expose.”
“We will continue to communicate with our sources in companies we expose and report on any that step out of line,” he added. “I can promise that if we have to do a second report, it will be much more aggressive.”
>> RELATED: STARBUCK OUTLINES HOW JOHN DEERE HAS ‘GONE WOKE’ <<
In an additional X post, Starbuck shared an internal memo from Ford that had been sent to him. “Sanity is coming for corporate America,” he commented.
In an internal message sent throughout Ford, Farley stated that the company would no longer engage in hiring quotas, speak on socio-political issues, or sponsor social events that do not align with Ford’s core values. Farley also announced the end of Ford’s participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index (CEI).
According to the memo, Ford is maintaining their range of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). The memo also suggested that the company still has much work to do in realigning the company with its consumer base and employees:
Ford remains deeply committed to fostering a safe and inclusive workplace and building a team that leverages diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and thinking styles to craft the best products, services, and experiences for our customers. We have more work to do to realize this vision.
The memo also stated that the company would be focusing the company’s philanthropic efforts on areas that would have the most impact:
Ford Philanthropy will continue to support causes that help move people forward and upward, aligning with Ford’s 120-year-plus legacy of helping build a better world. We will direct our philanthropic efforts to areas where we can make the biggest positive difference for the most people, including education for the future of work, entrepreneurship, and essential services, such as our support of and volunteer work with Team Rubicon, the veteran-led group dedicated to disaster recovery.
>> AUGUST: LOWE’S REVEALS PLANS TO DROP DEI <<
In a video, Starbuck praised Ford for its “fantastic move” of exiting the HRC’s CEI and recommended that every company in America do the same.
“At the end of the day, HRC is not aligned with core customers if you have even one conservative customer walking through your door,” explained Starbuck.
The outspoken conservative signed off with a reminder of his movement’s victory.
“We are winning and one by one we WILL bring sanity back to corporate America.”
