REV. AL SHARPTON, NAN TELL CORPORATE AMERICA TO EXPECT ‘BLACKLASH’ IF THEY BACK OUT OF DEI COMMITMENTS AFTER AFFIRMATIVE ACTION RULING

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Jul 13, 2023

Warning Comes Amid Report Republican Attorneys General Pressure Fortune 100 Companies Over Diversity Policies

New York, NY (Thursday, July 13, 2023) – Rev. Al Sharpton, President and Founder of the National Action Network (NAN), issued the following statement in response to a Wall Street Journal piece today on a letter sent by Republican attorneys general to Fortune 100 companies, warning any race-based personnel decisions would be considered discrimination. Their attempt to bully the nation’s largest corporations follows the Supreme Court’s gutting of affirmative action in higher education – something the National Action Network warned could carry over into Corporate American.

“Any Fortune 100 company that withdraws from its diversity commitments on employment, contracts, or other personnel decisions will face Blacklash when we withdraw our consumer dollars. I predicted this exact kind of thing would happen the day the Supreme Court took its first major hack at affirmative action. Although we expected this kind of move, it doesn’t make it any less appalling or potentially devastating. Attorneys general can attempt to bully companies, but they cannot make us buy from people who don’t hire or won’t do business with us. The National Action Network will monitor any company that backs out of its commitments and organize national consumer movements against them. We will not take this laying down.”

In May, the National Action Network – in partnership with the National Urban League, National Association of Investment Companies, and National Association of Securities Professionals – announced it would co-lead a new report that tracked what companies lived up to their promises on diversity, equity, and inclusion. The announcement was made on the third anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, which sparked a new wave of DEI commitments in Corporate America – including $340 billion in pledged investments among Fortune 1000 companies.

About National Action Network (NAN)

National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency, and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender.

For more information go to www.nationalactionnetwork.net.

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