On February 12, Google Calendar users noticed the removal of events such as Black History Month, Pride Month, and Women’s History Month. This reveals that large corporations are beginning to no longer observe dates regarding minority groups. This can be attributed to one of Trump’s more recent Presidential actions: “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” in which he called for the termination of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) executive actions.
Further, companies like Target, Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram), Amazon, McDonald’s, Walmart, Ford, Lowe’s, Harley Davidson, Brown Foreman, John Deere (farm equipment maker), and Tractor Supply are also all pulling back on their DEI services as well.
“DEl was created because marginalized communities have not always had equal opportunities for jobs or felt a sense of belonging in majority-White corporate settings,” states Daniel Oppong, founder of a DEI consulting company. Many believe that diversity, equity and inclusion have become more widespread in recent years, and so we no longer need any mandated regulation. However, we have barely begun this journey, let alone completed it.
As a country, we struggle with diversity, equity, and inclusion more than ever. A recent example of this is that in their aggressive ramping up, there have been accounts of ICE beginning to falsely ID and stop Native Americans, reportedly using the color of their skin as a basis for detaining them. Because of this, the Native American Rights Fund includes a section on its website for what to do if ICE questions them. This is concerning because, in simpler terms, Native Americans were here before America existed. (Literally, where would they go?) The fact that people can get pulled over and accused of being illegal residents of a land they lived on since before the country was founded over the color of their skin is proof that we as a country still struggle with diversity, equity and inclusion.
What can we, the people, do about all of this? Recently, there have been discussions about ways to properly protest the DEI rollback. However, since these companies are so huge, the “How, exactly?” has been up for debate.
Those on social media have taken to using tactics similar to those from the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. The Montgomery Bus Boycott occurred after Rosa Parks’ arrest for refusing to give up her seat on the bus in a time and place where Black people were expected to give up their seats for White people and move towards the back of the bus. Black people believed that they deserved equal rights on transportation, regardless of skin color, however, they were initially unsure as to how to effectively get their voices heard. With a lot of discussion and organization, Black people ended up boycotting the bus system entirely, greatly affecting Mongomery’s public transportation revenue. This protest lasted over a year: 381 days to be exact, revealing that boycotts do work. Black Americans made their voices heard and gained equal rights by hitting right where it hurt: in the wallet. We can do this again.
There are numerous trending videos online detailing various plans to actively boycott or “buycott” businesses that got rid of their DEI policies. Many have organized schedules, communicating the days people should avoid shopping with large corporations. February 28th was established as a complete boycott day, where people were asked to not spend a single dollar anywhere, unless it was to support a small local business. This was reported to have done some damage, but was ultimately fairly minimal, as most statistics that were gathered did not breach 5%. Another boycott reposted by award-winning actor and singer Billy Porter was designed to rotate companies throughout the year so that they could still be boycotted, even when circumstances made this inconvenient. Here is the gist of the idea, trending under the term “2025 Boycott Calendar:”
- March and April: Boycott Walmart exclusively.
- May and June: Boycott Target exclusively.
- July and August: Boycott Amazon exclusively.
- September: Boycott Walmart exclusively.
- October: Boycott Target exclusively.
- November and December: Full Boycott. No Target, no Walmart, and no Amazon.
It’s important to remember that so many people fought hard for equal rights, which diversity, equity and inclusion acts uphold. And, frankly, letting DEI vanish without a fight is blatant disrespect to that. If the Montgomery bus boycott went on for 381 days on one of the most essential parts of daily life, then surely we can work with the inconvenience for the remainder of a year. The concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion are still needed and are what make our country strong.
Until the day where the word diversity doesn’t bring images of a particular group of people into your head, protecting our diversity will always be necessary.
Sources:
https://time.com/7209960/companies-rolling-back-dei/
https://narf.org/citizenship-immigration-2025/
https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/montgomery-bus-boycott
https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/22/us/dei-diversity-equity-inclusion-explained/index.html
https://www.dw.com/en/google-calendar-removes-black-history-month-and-pride-month/a-71580642
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/03/04/did-feb-28-economic-blackout-work/81191601007/
www.cnn.com/2025/01/22/us/dei-diversity-equity-inclusion-explained/index.html
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DFjgOm8ojAS/?igsh=bXQ5YmYyZGhuYjV0
![A sticker reading “F[***] FASCISTS” displayed on a private property sign. This is one in a series of small, isolated acts of anonymous protest around Moanalua High School’s campus in response to recent political events. It has become a muse for students, met with both support and ridicule.](https://nahokunews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/private-property-1200x673.png)
