Tractor Supply and the Recent Withdrawl from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Goals
Recently, you might have heard about Tractor Supply’s pull back from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals after taking some hard knocks from conservative media about them being too “woke.” We’re going to be exploring this together next month on August 4, but in the meantime we’ve invited Phyllis Alexander to share her thoughts on this with the hopes of inviting conversation!
Blessings to you all.
David
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By Phyllis Alexander
In full transparency, I’ve never stepped foot into a Tractor Supply store. I’ve thought about it because I’m a shopper, but with the latest news on their decision to retreat from their DEI initiative, I’m quite frankly no longer interested in “checking them out.”
In case you didn’t hear, Tractor Supply stopped their DEI efforts after experiencing some social media backlash.
Real quick, they went from these commitments:
Significantly reducing their energy and water consumption
Materially increasing the gender and ethnicity diversity of their Board and management Executive Committee,
Conducting unconscious bias training for over 40,000 team members
Implementing a new six-week paid parental leave policy for full time salary and hourly team members
By 2025, they will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by 20% from what they were in 2020
By 2026, double the number of stores where Team Members mirror the communities they serve
By 2026, increase people of color at the manager level and above by 50%
By 2026, increase funding to programs and education for Black and African Americans by 30%
By 2026, increase spending with diverse suppliers by 35%
By 2030, they will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50%
By 2040, they are committing to achieve net zero emissions across all operations
To this:
No longer submit data to the Human Rights Campaign
Refocus the team member engagement groups on mentoring, networking and supporting the business
Further focus on rural America priorities including agricultural education, animal welfare, veteran causes, being a good neighbor and stop sponsoring non business activities like pride festivals and voting campaigns
Eliminate DEI roles and retire current DEI goals while still ensuring a respectful environment
Withdraw carbon emission goals and focus on land and water conservation efforts.
Three of the new decisions are more about what they’re not going to do, than what they are going to focus on. They made the changes because someone didn’t like their “woke priorities,” and pushed back via a social media campaign. Seriously?
That’s all it takes? Someone doesn’t like what you’re doing to make the world a better place, and you fold?
You can tell from my tone, I’m disappointed. This is what I’m up against. As a Black African Heritage female, I often feel I cannot trust people of white race identity to be “uncomfortable” on behalf of equity, justice and inclusion. On some level we all know it’s the right thing to do to “level the playing field,” as they say. Regrettably too many people, particularly white folk, believe my gain is their loss. There’s a zero sum mentality and a scarcity mindset, as if in the United States of America there is not enough to go around. There is enough to go around. Dear reader, the next sentence may be triggering Yes, a redistribution of resources is required. (footnote) And everyone will still have more than enough. I’m talking about quality education, affordable housing, living wages, and opportunity.
I kind of digress. What do we do about Tractor Supply? A colleague asked me if we make them “pay” somehow, because without a cost there won’t be change. And he asked, "Do we give them grace?” Two very different approaches for us to consider. What I know is that for lasting change, we must build relationships. We can bully a business into change (after all, that’s exactly what one blogger did to derail Tractor Supply from its healthy priorities of change) – but then what happens? – when values and ideals have no real roots, they snap back with every pushback the public throws at them..
So going forward, for those of us who like a good strategy:
Let’s talk amongst ourselves – how do we feel about Tractor’s Supply’s latest decision? Let’s see what page we’re on.
Let’s educate ourselves – we can’t rely solely on what we read in the press, let’s invite spokespersons from the company to a meeting so we may hear their full story.
Let’s help them shift. If, after hearing from Tractor Supply, we learn the press essentially has it correct, let’s ask the Tractor Supply spokespersons some probing questions. We can start with general questions – what is their understanding about racial dynamics in the U.S.? In the skin they’re in, what is their personal racialized experience? Do they have close relationships with people who may have different racialized experiences? What do they imagine is the ideal workplace, community, society – with respect to how we navigate our similarities and differences? Ideally, the questions will lead to honest conversation(s), relationship building, and the co-creation of a path forward that may or not be called DEI work but is nonetheless about creating workspaces that support the humanity and potential of all.
If we have it all wrong and Tractor Supply is going forward with a robust DEI strategy even if they call it something different – then we’ll have a conversation with the press about the world we all want and are creating together.
Dear reader, what do you think?
Footnote: If you disagree and do not think resources need to be redistributed (for example you believe it’s acceptable for someone to make $11 million per year e.g. CEO of Tractor Supply, while their company’s starting salary is $16,320 per year, — I don’t think this inequity is sustainable), please contact me. I am willing to have a conversation.