Rev. Al Sharpton Leads Pro-DEI March Down Wall Street
Rev. Al Sharpton marked the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington on Thursday by leading a march down Wall Street to protest corporations walking back their commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.
According to AP, community leaders, clergy, and labor activists joined Rev. Al Sharpton in the march. “Corporate America wants to walk away from Black communities, so we are marching to them to bring this fight to their doorstep,” Sharpton said in a statement ahead of the march. State Assembly Member and New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was also in attendance at the march. Sharpton said he invited all the New York mayoral candidates to the march, including current New York Mayor Eric Adams and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“I don’t endorse candidates, but I take attendance,” Sharpton told the crowd to laughter. “We come to Wall Street rather than Washington this year to let them know: you can try to turn back the clock, but you can’t turn back time,” Sharpton added as the march began.
From AP:
The march began at 11 a.m. in Foley Square, located in downtown Manhattan near the African Burial Ground that’s the largest known resting place of enslaved and freed Africans in the country.
The square is also near 26 Federal Plaza, the federal government building that’s become a symbol of Trump’s nationwide immigration crackdown. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been detaining migrants during their routine appearances at the immigration court located there. A federal judge earlier this month also ordered the Trump administration to improve conditions for migrants jailed there.
The march went down a section of Broadway known as the “Canyon of Heroes,” famous for its ticker tape parades, and went past the corner of Wall Street itself, though did not turn down the famed street where the New York Stock Exchange is located.
The march comes as a result of several high-profile corporations walking back their DEI initiatives as a result of the Trump administration taking a staunch anti-DEI stance. President Donald Trump signed several executive orders banning DEI in the federal government and withholding funds from public universities with DEI programs.
Target has perhaps been the most high-profile company to do an about-face on its DEI initiatives. While the retail company spent much of the last decade positioning itself as a progressive, inclusive company, it wasted no time announcing it would be ending its DEI initiatives, including a program designed to help Black employees advance in the company.
This wound up being a real FAFO moment for Target, as Rev. Al Sharpton was among several activists nationwide calling for a boycott of Target. Those boycotts seem to have been effective, as the company has reported a decrease in foot traffic, a drop in quarterly earnings, and this month, Target CEO Brian Cornell announced his resignation. Several other companies have begun warning investors about the risk of consumer boycotts as a result of Target’s woes. Target met with Rev. Al Sharpton earlier this year, but they have yet to reinstitute any of their DEI initiatives.
Polling earlier this year revealed that companies that keep their DEI initiatives have better reputations among consumers. One need only look at Costco, which stood 10 toes down on its DEI commitments and has seen its sales increase throughout the year. Even C-suite executives and legal professionals believe DEI initiatives are essential for the workplace.
Yet that hasn’t stopped several companies from still announcing they’re ending their commitments to DEI initiatives. This most likely has to do with FCC Chief Brendan Carr threatening to revoke broadcast licenses, reject mergers, and launch investigations into companies that continue their DEI initiatives.
SEE ALSO:
Survey: High-Level Business Execs Say DEI Is Necessary
T-Mobile Removes DEI Programs Just In Time For FCC To Approve Mergers
Poll Shows Companies Maintaing DEI Intiatives Have Better Reputations
