Home improvement chain Lowe’s is the latest US company to end some diversity policies

(Reuters) – Home improvement retailer Lowe’s has eliminated some of its diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, becoming the latest U.S. company to change such policies designed to strengthen racial and ethnic representation.

Lowe’s will no longer participate in surveys conducted by the Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group supporting transgender rights, and is also consolidating its various business resource groups representing employees of diverse backgrounds into one umbrella organization, according to an internal memo seen by Reuters on Monday.

The company will not sponsor or participate in community events such as parades, festivals or fairs and may make further changes to its policies over time, the memo said, which was confirmed by a company spokesperson.

In recent years, U.S. companies like JPMorgan Chase have faced a major conservative backlash against diversity initiatives, which intensified following widespread protests following the police killing of George Floyd and other black people in the U.S. in 2020.

The protests drew attention to racial and gender differences in corporate governance.

Some companies have received public shareholder letters since 2021 alleging that their DEI programs constitute illegal discrimination and a breach of directors’ duties to investors.

Groups opposing diversity policies also received support from the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2023 ruling that invalidated the promotion of positive discrimination in college admissions.

According to the memo, Lowe’s began reviewing its diversity and inclusion programs around the same time.

(Reporting by Savyata Mishra and Ananya Mariam Rajesh in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)