News/Commentary

Best Buy accused of ‘discrimination’ in management training program requirements

August 9, 2023 | | Print Article

Corporate America’s complete surrender to DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) standards and ESG (environmental, social and governance) efforts is only beginning to be exposed, as cowardly CEOs place greater importance on Corporate Equality Index scores issued by the left-wing Human Rights Campaign than they do the satisfaction of loyal consumers — see Bud Light.

One brand after another is suddenly in the headlines for selling out, sometimes costing them billions of dollars, as seen recently with Target and its “tuck-friendly” swimwear targeting children, and Best Buy seems eager to be next in line it seems.

O’Keefe Media Group (OMG) shared what looks to be screen grabs obtained by a citizen journalist that suggests Best Buy is excluding white applicants for a management training program.

“A Citizen Journalist has revealed Best Buy is partnering with McKinsey & Company on a Management Training Program. The program is not open to white applicants,” OMG tweeted.

As seen in the images above, one of the requirements to be eligible for the program states: “Identify as Black, Latino, Hispanic, Asian or Pacific Islander.”

Noted attorney Harmeet Dhillon responded to the tweet to say, “Seems illegal….”

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The legitimacy of the screen grabs has not been confirmed but the Best Buy website confirms as much.

“As part of Best Buy’s commitment to develop and support our employees who identify as Black, Indigenous or People of Color (BIPOC), we’ve partnered with McKinsey & Company to offer the McKinsey Management Accelerator program,” the company’s website states, going on to explain that the program “focuses on professional career development by customizing its curriculum and discussions to the unique situations, experiences and opportunities of BIPOC professionals.”

Joslyn Knight, a Best Buy Distribution Operations Support Senior Analyst in Ontario, California, is quoted as saying she thrived in a non-white environment.

“The McKinsey Accelerator Program has been a great challenge for my leadership skillset,” Knight said. “Having other people of color in the program took away the façade I’ve always had to bear as a minority and allowed me to participate as a true student without having to worry about how I appear as a person of color in a space.”

Beat Buy also celebrated a transgender sales associate in recognition of Pride Month, which is in June — the profile was posted on May 31 and remains up as of August 9.

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“Since coming out, I can finally breathe and be myself,” said the biological female who now identifies as a male. “To get through that and know people will still love and accept me and support me in my job makes such a big difference.”

The apparent exclusion of white applicants appears to have been predictable, as the electronics retailer announced in December 2020 that it planned to fill a third of its corporate jobs with people of color over the next five years. Another third was dedicated to hiring women.

“To expand representation throughout the company, we are providing leadership-in-training roles to BIPOC and women employees,” the company said in a release. “We will also invest in mentorship opportunities and match all BIPOC directors and officers with sponsors and coaches to enhance the employee experience, increase retention, and help our current and future leaders create meaningful connections.”

With affirmative action goals reserving two-thirds of all corporate jobs for women and people of color, and given the number of white males currently in corporate roles, there may very well be no positions available for a demographic that finds itself being openly and unapologetically discriminated against more and more in post-Obama America.

They call this “equity.”

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Social media users feel another Bud Light experience may be on the horizon… here’s a quick sampling of responses to the story from Twitter:

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Tom Tillison
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