by Sharelle Burt
January 14, 2025
What’s next?
Just weeks after Amazon dialed back on DEI policies, the company quietly removed protections for both Black and LGBTQ+ employees, Advocate reports.
Policies, including “solidarity” pledges for Black employees and healthcare benefits for transgender workers, were removed from the company’s public website. As the company once stood in “solidarity” with its African American workers, the retail giant removed a section titled “Equity for Black people” that detailed support of “legislation to combat misconduct and racial bias in policing, efforts to protect and expand voting rights, and initiatives that provide better health and educational outcomes for Black people.”
Amazon also removed an outline of the gender-affirming care benefits provided to employees under its healthcare plan. The policy once said it was “based on the Standards of Care published by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH),” along with a pledge stating the company was “working at the U.S. federal and state level on legislation” to assist with building anti-discrimination protections for transgender people.
Another page, once titled “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion,” now reads “Inclusive Experiences and Technology.” Once promising to “advance DEI through technology,” Amazon replaced the verbiage with a vow to “advance the employee experience.”
The removal dismayed many employees who were concerned about what their healthcare would look like. While the company claims the benefits are still in place, employees are still worried. “I’m a bit worried … if that will impact insurance coverage in the future,” one employee said via text message. Another employee highlighted how Amazon’s changes were “a bit of a backward step” from previously stated supportive actions, according to the Washington Post. Spokesperson Kelly Nantel defended the company’s moves, claiming, “We update this page from time to time to ensure that it reflects updates we’ve made to various programs and positions.”
The company feels employees shouldn’t be too taken aback by the changes, highlighting a memo from December 2024 where Vice President Candi Castleberry announced some DEI initiatives would be pushed back under the leadership of Founder Jeff Bezos.
Following the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling to overturn affirmative action in college admissions, major corporations pushed back or eliminated their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Ford Motor Co., Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s, and Tractor Supply Co. succumbed to the conservative outcry, calling on them to pull back on support for misrepresented demographics, including Black and LGBTQ+ employees. In early January 2025, McDonald’s, known for avidly supporting Black initiatives and HBCUs, scaled back on its diversity goals. This was followed by Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, which confirmed that its employee DEI programs were being dismantled.
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