Companies Defending DEI Show Moral Courage, Says Top Journalist, Economic Justice Standard-Bearer Bankole Thompson

DETROIT, MI, UNITED STATES, January 26, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Bankole Thompson, a nationally acclaimed journalist and standard-bearer for economic justice issues, is applauding companies who have rejected the attacks on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies and instead publicly and boldly affirmed their commitment to continue using DEI as a core tenet of achieving a diverse workforce. Because they understand that diversity is good for business.

JPMorgan Chase Bank, Costco, Apple and Microsoft are among several of the nation's leading corporations to stand behind their DEI programs and not give in to pressure from activists groups that have been trying to get corporate America to eliminate diversity programs. Meanwhile companies like Walmart, MacDonald's, Meta, Toyota and Target have already thrown in the towel announcing that they are scaling back or ending their DEI programs. Target indicated that it would no longer focus on a program that promotes Black and minority products in their stores.

"History will remember the companies that courageously stood up for what is right in not only defending DEI but making it unmistakably clear that they will not abandon diversity and inclusion programs in the workplace. Their actions are a clear demonstration of the kind of moral fortitude that is needed in this unpredictable and divisive political climate," Thompson said in a statement. "JPMorgan Chase, Costco, Apple and Microsoft recognize that they do not report to a political party. They are in the business of selling products to a diverse consumer market who have the right to consider many factors before purchasing their products. Every credible study in the last decade has shown that diversity makes sense for businesses to not only thrive but grow more exponentially."

Thompson has called for a boycott of companies that have dumped DEI and indicated that he will no longer shop at Target.

"I used to shop at Target a lot. But with this recent drastic action that they have taken against DEI, they have lost me. They do not deserve our dollars. The only language companies like Target and Walmart understand is the profit margin. If they can no longer report their huge profits to Wall Street, they will come to the table of equity for a real conversation. Don't spend your money with them," Thompson said. "Economic boycott has been one of the most effective ways to achieve justice. The Civil Rights Movement demonstrated the power of boycotts. If DEI is bad then they should not rely on a diverse consumer market to patronize their products."

Thompson added, "It is imperative that we pay attention very closely to the businesses that are willing to stand with the advocates of DEI in this political dispensation. The long walk to freedom and equality will take on a bumpy road but history has a way of powerfully vindicating those who stood on the right side championing DEI and were not cowards."

Thompson's work has been lauded for reflecting the vision and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He is the founding dean of the anti-poverty think tank, The PuLSE Institute, a twice-a-week opinion columnist at The Detroit News and the host of the weekly national podcast, "Bankole's Nation." His latest book, "Fiery Conscience" published in August of 2023 documents his decades of speaking truth to power as one of the most outspoken voices for racial justice in the nation. The book featured in Forbes lays out a blueprint for bold and impactful leadership.

"Bankole is a passionate advocate in the fight against poverty and racial and economic inequality. He is gives respect, voice and agency to those affected. This truly makes Bankole a social prophet," former U.S. Ambassador Anne Derse said about Bankole Thompson in a 2022 keynote address before The PuLSE Institute.

Civil rights leader, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., former president and founder of the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, presented Thompson in 2018, with the Rainbow PUSH Coalition's "Let Freedom Ring Journalism Award," for being a preeminent voice of conscience and courage in the nation and to mark the 50th anniversary death of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In endorsing Thompson's book, "Fiery Conscience," Jackson said, "In Fiery Conscience, Bankole takes us on a social, journalistic journey that reminds us that one’s fragilities and triumphs are shaped by one’s past. Thank you, for this vestibule of hope book during our nation’s most moralless times. A time where truth is discounted and lies are ignored. We need your pen more than ever."

A sought after speaker and public intellectual, Thompson writes and speaks with the force of history about public leadership, corporate social responsibility, equity, inclusion and political economy.

For example, in February of 2022, he delivered a powerful keynote lecture for the Ivy League School Brown University Black History Month Forum on Race and Democracy, in which he warned that American democracy was on life support (https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2022/02/our-democracy-is-on-life-support-bankole-thompson-discusses-role-of-institutions-in-addressing-racial-inequity) while explaining the role of major institutions in advancing racial equality. His lecture which was attended by Brown President Christina Paxson, who delivered the introductory remarks and officially welcomed Thompson touched on the many facets of our national life including the death of George Floyd while making the case for economic justice in the modern era.

In 2015, the University of Michigan Bentley Historically Library wrote to Thompson requesting to establish the "Bankole Thompson Papers," a comprehensive digital and physical collection to document his work for posterity. The Bentley houses the papers of every Michigan governor.

Bankole Thompson
The PuLSE Institute
email us here