According to Virginia-based group Consumers’ Research, it noticed major corporations such as Walt Disney, Kohl’s, Nationwide, Dollar Tree, and UPS have dropped or tweaked the tell-tale words “diversity, equity, and inclusion” from their websites and web pages.
The newer, preferred word is now “belonging.”
A “Woke Alert” published by Consumers’ Research includes examples of those changes.
Kohl’s, for example, changed the title of its “Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer” to “Chief Inclusion and Belonging Officer.”
Dollar Tree changed a website banner from “Creating a Culture of Inclusion” to “Creating a Culture of Belonging.”
Regardless of the word choice, Consumers’ Research says a corporation that is following through on its DEI policy – rather than merely paying it lip service – is breaking federal law if it hires candidates and promotes employees based on a person’s race and gender.
Will Hild, executive director at Consumers' Research, tells AFN the group began digging into Nationwide’s corporate practices after an unusual confrontation: An attorney representing the insurer confronted Hild. The attorney, he says, told Hild the “Woke Alert” was not true and warned Hild to correct it.
In its "Woke Alert," Hild and Consumers’ Research reported Nationwide had swapped “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” with the new phrase “Belonging, Respect, and Fairness.”
In a related X post, Hild identified the Nationwide attorney as Libby Locke. Locke, who is based in Virginia, specializes in news media and First Amendment-related cases.
Hild, instead, says he took the attorney’s warning as a sign Nationwide deserved to be scrutinized even more.
“Sure enough,” Hild says, “I found pages and pages as we put it in the letter of examples of discriminatory DEI practices that Nationwide has been engaging in."
Hild and Consumers’ Research allege that discrimination involves its hiring practices, corporate partnerships, and its suppliers, none of which involved selections based on merit.
Nationwide, based in Columbus, Ohio, is a Fortune 100 company. It generated $68 billion in sales in 2024, according to its annual report.
In a letter to Locke, Hild says it informed her Consumers’ Research was also contacting the U.S. Department of Justice and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
“Because we think, based on what we found, Nationwide's practices warrant further investigation,” Hild, referring to the letter, says.
AFN has reached out to Nationwide for comment but did not receive a response.
