Ford Motor Company to scale back DEI policies amid right-wing pressure
Months after withdrawing from external corporate culture surveys such as those administered by the Human Rights Campaign, Ford Motor Company will scale back internal policies on diversity, equity, and inclusion, according to a memo from the company’s CEO Jim Farley.
The move, which follows similar decisions by other publicly traded corporations like JPMorgan Chase, home improvement retailer Lowe’s, and motorcycle maker Harley Davidson, marks a decisive shift in the automaker’s approach to workplace culture.
Ford has long earned top marks in external ranking systems that measure firms’ commitments to inclusion by evaluating their corporate policies, practices, and benefits with respect to gender equity, LGBTQ equality, disability, and other metrics.
The contents of Farley’s memo were first reported on Wednesday when the document was leaked to Reuters by conservative activist Robby Starbuck, who has campaigned against DEI programs as well as corporate participation in LGBTQ events and the issuance of public statements concerning — or the deployment of business strategies to address — matters from climate change to systemic racism.
