Brown-Forman Corp., the company that produces the famous Jack Daniels whiskey, recently announced that it would be disbanding the brand’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives after conservatives threatened to boycott the company. Conservative consumers have recently led numerous successful campaigns against woke companies, forcing them to back down from their leftist agendas.
Jack Daniels recently issued a letter that stated, “[W]e launched our diversity and inclusion strategy in 2019. Since then, the world has evolved, our business has changed, and the legal and external landscape has shifted dramatically, particularly within the United States. With these new dynamics at play, we must adjust our work to ensure it continues to drive business results while appropriately recognizing the current environment in which we find ourselves.”
The statement noted that the company would be “removing our quantitative workforce and supplier diversity ambitions; ending participation in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index survey; and reviewing training programs for consistency with an evolved strategy.” Conservative activist Robby Starbuck reportedly planned to organize a boycott against the company before they backpedaled.
Conservative activist Robby Starbuck has recently made it a mission to expose woke companies for embracing values that contradict their consumer bases. As a result, many of the companies in question, such as Harley-Davidson, have pulled back on initiatives such as DEI.
“We are saddened by the negativity on social media over the last few weeks, designed to divide the Harley-Davidson community. As a Company, we take this issue very seriously, and it is our responsibility to respond with clarity, action, and facts,” the famous motorcycle brand recently wrote in a public statement addressing the backlash.
“We see it as every leader’s role to ensure we have an employee base that reflects our customers and the geographies in which we operate. It is critical to our business that we hire and retain the best talent and that all employees feel welcome. That said, we have not operated a DEl function since April 2024, and we do not have a DEl function today. We do not have hiring quotas and we no longer have supplier diversity spend goals,” the company said.
“The Company continually evaluates its training opportunities to ensure they are right for our workforce. Training provided will be related to the needs of the business and be absent of socially motivated content – only legally required training has ever been mandatory at Harley-Davidson,” the statement added, addressing the DEI-related employee trainings.
Harley Davidson continued, “We believe having both a broad employee and customer base is good for business and that ultimately everybody should experience the joy of riding a Harley-Davidson. We remain committed to listening to all members of our community as we continue on our journey together as the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world.”
“For over 120 years, Harley-Davidson has brought the joy of motorcycling to riders around the world, no matter who they are, where they come from or what they believe in. We have a guiding principle: United We Ride. It defines how we run our business, treat our people, and underscores our commitment to welcoming all,” the statement also read.
Watch a biker sound off on Harley-Davidson below:
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