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Major companies going into stealth mode with DEI programs by rebranding

April 15, 2025 | | Print Article

Corporate America may be rolling back Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs as the tide turns against institutionalized racism, but some major companies are going into stealth mode to hide their discrimination from the public.

An advocacy group dedicated to educating consumers on corporate DEI practices so they can make informed shopping decisions says that a handful of big-name corporations are sticking with DEI but disguising the policies by cynically giving them different names.

Consumers’ Research (CR), a nonprofit organization established in 1929, outed Dollar Tree, Kohl’s, Nationwide and UPS as corporations that instead of getting with the program and eliminating the racist practices that have now become radioactive, are rebranding in the apparent hope of flying under the radar while maintaining the status quo.

“It’s the same racism under a different name. Rebranding from DEI doesn’t change the anti-White and anti-Asian nature of these activities. Corporations should focus on serving customers by finding and retaining the best talent, not engaging in a retrograde racial patronage scheme,” Will Hild, who serves as executive director for Consumers’ Research, said, according to Fox Business.

Even though Kohl’s recently announced that it would be walking back DEI initiatives, the retailer merely removed DEI language from its website and changed the job title of its Chief Diversity Officer, Michelle Banks, to Chief Belonging and Inclusion Officer.

“At Kohl’s, our priority as a company is to reflect our values of being a welcoming, respectful, and inclusive company for all of our associates and all of the customers we serve. We believe that an inclusive and productive workforce that serves a broad base of customers will only help drive our business forward,” the national chain’s Inclusion and Belonging website section states.

Another company, deep discount emporium Dollar Tree, has also changed out DEI for “Culture of Belonging,” in an attempt “to hide its activism in plain sight,” CR revealed in the organization’s latest “Woke Alert” on its website.

According to the organization, “Nationwide is on the woke side. Amid pressure from the Trump Administration, the insurance company supposedly ‘remove[d] DEI from its website.’ However, on its website, the company simply replaced ‘diversity’ with ‘belonging’ in an effort to hide its wokeness. The ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ page is now titled ‘Belonging, respect and fairness.’”

“UPS is also hiding its DEI policies. Its diversity page was titled ‘Diversity, Equity & Inclusion,’ but now it is ‘Inclusion and Belonging.’ With a simple text swap, the core DEI beliefs at UPS have not changed, but rather have been masked. Previously, UPS claimed ‘At UPS, diversity, equity, and inclusion are part of our fabric and the legacy of our founders.’ Now it says, ‘At UPS, inclusion and belonging are part of our fabric and the legacy of our founders,’” CR points out on its website, providing several examples of screenshots from the corporate websites.

Also included in the “Woke Alert” is Disney, which, despite the “Snow White” reboot debacle, isn’t backing off the “woke” ideology that has already cost the formerly family-friendly entertainment colossus dearly.

“Disney’s former DEI page trumpeting its ‘Commitment to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion’ now says ‘At Disney, we want everyone to belong and thrive,'” Consumers’ Research says on its website.

Chris Donaldson
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