Brian McGowan / Unsplash
CV NEWS FEED // Disney informed employees Feb. 11 of changes and rebranding of some “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (DEI) practices, so as “to focus more closely on business outcomes,” Axios reported.
The email that Chief Human Resources Officer Sonia Coleman sent employees noted that starting in the new fiscal year, Disney also will be swapping its “Diversity & Inclusion” performance factor with a “Talent Strategy” factor, according to Axios.
According to FOX Business, the email explained that this new “factor will assess how leaders uphold our company values, incorporate different perspectives to drive business success, cultivate an environment where all employees can thrive, and sustain a robust pipeline to ensure long-term organizational strength.”
The company is also removing its diversity and inclusion initiative “Reimagine Tomorrow” and that initiative’s website, according to Axios.
Journalist Christopher Rufo reported in 2021 that numerous Disney employees alleged that practices related to the initiative had “become deeply politicized and engulfed parts of the company in racial conflict.”
According to Reuters, the memo to employees said the website for “Reimagine Tomorrow” will be rebranded to “MyDisneyToday.”
“We create entertainment that appeals to a global audience,” Coleman wrote. “And having a workforce that reflects the consumers we serve helps drive our business.”
Additionally, the company is rewriting the advisory disclaimers it had been placing on various older movies and moving them down to the “details” part of the movie’s page on Disney+.
Previously, the advisory warned of content contained in the movie such as negative depictions of people or cultures. The new advisory, two unidentified sources told Axios, will now state: “This program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions.”
In a statement to FOX News Digital, Stefan Padfield, the director of the Free Enterprise Project for the National Center for Public Policy Research, said it is unclear what Disney’s goal is.
“Disney dropping [Reimagine Tomorrow] from their DEI section could mean they’re walking back their DEI investments, or it could signal they’re hiding them,” Padfield said. “Either they recognize that more litigation is coming, or it could be part of a vibe shift.”
On Jan. 21, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that ended DEI programs in the federal government and encouraged private businesses to “end illegal DEI discrimination and preferences.” The order slammed agencies, companies, and other organizations that “actively use dangerous, demeaning, and immoral race- and sex-based preferences under the guise of so-called ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ (DEI),” noting that such practices violate federal civil-rights laws.
